Portugal :
Cristiano Ronaldo has signalled that his playing days are approaching an end, telling interviewer Piers Morgan that he expects to retire “soon” as he shifts focus toward family life and long‑planned post‑football projects.
Career tally:
The 40‑year‑old forward acknowledged the emotional difficulty of stepping away from a career that has produced some of the sport’s most memorable moments, but said he has been preparing for the transition for many years. Ronaldo, who remains one of the game’s most prolific scorers with more than 900 career goals for club and country, said he understands the intense pull of competition and the unique rush that scoring provides.
Family focus:
Still, he stressed that every athlete must eventually move on. “Everything has a beginning and everything has an end,” he said, noting his intention to spend more time with his family and to help raise his children once he retires from professional play. While he has publicly set an ambitious personal milestone of reaching 1,000 career goals, Ronaldo accepted that the timeline for hanging up his boots is not fixed to a date.
Post‑career readiness:
He described the prospect of retirement as emotionally charged but manageable, pointing out that he has been building a life beyond the pitch since his mid‑20s so that he can handle the pressures that follow a high‑profile sporting career.
Ronaldo also reflected on his relationship with Manchester United, a club where he enjoyed previous highs and where a second spell ended amid mixed results. He said he still follows the team and feels disappointment at the struggles he has observed, calling the club one of the world’s great institutions that, in his view, has underperformed in recent seasons. He urged structural improvements and acknowledged that turning around a storied club’s fortunes cannot be achieved overnight.
Observers note Ronaldo’s remarks come at a stage when many football legends are navigating retirement by expanding business interests, media roles and family commitments. His long-standing preparation for life after football — from brand partnerships to creative ventures — suggests he intends to remain active off the field in ways that leverage his global profile.
For fans, the news marks the beginning of a countdown to the day the five‑time Ballon d’Or winner finally steps away. For the player himself, it appears to be a deliberate, measured shift rather than a sudden exit: he emphasised gratitude for the adrenaline and satisfaction football has given him, while signalling readiness to embrace the next chapter of his life with family at its centre.
As Ronaldo balances ambition — including the chase for another surge in his scoring tally — with plans for more private time, the football world is preparing for the eventual farewell of one of the sport’s defining figures.
