By Ben Church, CNN
Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that this could be his last year playing professional soccer, after what’s been a record-breaking career.
The 41-year-old is widely considered one of the best players in history, winning five Ballon d’Or awards in addition to a host of major trophies and record-breaking achievements.
“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” he recently told Vogue after marrying his wife Georgina Rodríguez on Tuesday.
He said he was “looking forward to spending more time with the family,” adding that he had his future “all mapped out.”
“I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard. Because football could leave a big hole, you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one,” he said.
“And also have more fun, travel more, watch and play padel, which I really like, and continue to enjoy what I’ve earned – what we’ve earned. Because, after all, it’s been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice.”
One Last Milestone?
Ronaldo played and scored in his sixth World Cup for Portugal this summer – an all-time record – but is now a shadow of the player that once dominated the sport.
He has scored 976 goals for club and country so far in a career that has seen him play for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
It has long been his aim to reach 1,000 career goals, a milestone he can reach playing in the Saudi league this season.
Ronaldo is currently signed to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, where he has one year left on his contract.
Here’s a look at the life of professional soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.
Personal
Birth date: February 5, 1985
Birthplace: Funchal, Portugal
Birth name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Father: Jose Dinis Aveiro, gardener
Mother: Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, cook
Marriage: Georgina Rodriguez (August 11, 2026-present)
Children: with Georgina Rodriguez: Alana Martina, 2017; Bella Esmeralda and male twin (name unreleased, died in childbirth), 2022; via surrogate: Eva and Mateo (twins), 2017; with mother’s name unavailable publicly: Cristiano Jr., 2010
Other Facts
All-time leading male goalscorer in international football.
First male player in history to score a goal in five different World Cups.
Portugal’s all-time top international goalscorer.
Winner of the Ballon d’Or footballer of the year award five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), and the European Golden Shoe four times (2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).
One of his acts of charity was paying for the brain surgery of a 10-month-old boy. Other acts have included raising money for survivors of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and paying for treatment for a 9-year-old cancer patient.
His father named him after US President Ronald Reagan.
Timeline
Early 1990s – Joins local amateur team Andorinha.
Late 1990s – Joins Clube Desportivo Nacional da Madeira, one of Portugal’s leading professional football clubs.
Early 2000s – Signs with Sporting Clube de Portugal.
August 12, 2003 – Signs with Manchester United for £12.24 million ($19.7 million).
August 20, 2003 – Debuts for Portugal’s national team.
June-July 2004 – Represents Portugal in the UEFA Euro and scores a goal in the tournament opener. This is his first major international tournament.
July 2004 – Plays for Portugal during the Summer Olympics. Portugal is eliminated in the group stage.
2005 – Wins the FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award.
October 2005 – Comes under investigation for an alleged sexual assault but is not charged.
June 17, 2006 – Scores his first World Cup goal against Iran. Portugal wins 2-0.
2008 – Wins the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
2009 – Transfers to Real Madrid. The deal includes an £80 million (more than $130 million) transfer fee.
December 15, 2013 – Opens a museum dedicated to his football career in his hometown of Funchal, Portugal.
January 6, 2014 – Scores his 400th career goal.
January 20, 2014 – Is named Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry.
October 17, 2015 – Officially becomes Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer in the club’s 3-0 victory over Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
November 9, 2015 – The documentary “Ronaldo” premieres in London.
November 8, 2016 – Signs a “lifetime” endorsement deal with Nike.
January 2017 – Is named the inaugural Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2016.
June 13, 2017 – Is accused of defrauding Spanish authorities of $16.4 million in tax between 2011 and 2014.
August 14, 2017 – According to the Spanish Football Federation, Ronaldo is banned for five games following his red card in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over rival Barcelona. On top of the one-game ban for the red card, he will miss four further games for pushing referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea as he was leaving the field.
October 23, 2017 – Wins the FIFA Best Men’s Player Award for the second year in a row.
December 7, 2017 – Claims his fifth Ballon d’Or, equaling the record set by eternal rival Lionel Messi.
July 10, 2018 – Leaves Real Madrid to join the reigning Serie A champion Juventus, based in Turin, Italy, on a four-year contract and a reported $117 million transfer fee.
September 27, 2018 – Kathryn Mayorga files a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, accusing Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. She seeks to void a settlement and nondisclosure agreement she says she was coerced to sign by Ronaldo and his legal team. Ronaldo denies the allegations.
January 10, 2019 – Las Vegas police spokeswoman, Officer Laura Meltzer, confirms that in the course of investigating a rape allegation against Ronaldo they have sent a warrant to authorities in Italy requesting a sample of his DNA.
January 22, 2019 – Ronaldo agrees to settle his tax fraud case with Spanish authorities by paying a fine of $21.6 million and accepting a 23-month suspended prison sentence. Under Spanish law, first-time offenders can avoid prison time if the sentence is under two years.
April 20, 2019 – Juventus defeats Fiorentina 2-1 to claim the Italian championship Serie A title. Ronaldo becomes the first player ever to win titles in the Premier League (with Manchester United), La Liga (with Real Madrid) and Serie A (with Juventus).
May 8, 2019 – The lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada, accusing Ronaldo of rape is voluntary dismissed by Mayorga. Larissa Drohobyczer, Mayorga’s attorney, tells CNN that “The state case was dismissed by us because we filed the identical claims in federal court due to federal court rules on serving foreigners, we basically just switched venues, but the claims remain.”
July 22, 2019 – The Clark County District Attorney’s office says that Ronaldo will not face sexual assault charges in Las Vegas. The office says the allegations, which were first made in 2009, cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
August 16, 2019 – Federal court documents reveal that following Mayorga’s 2009 accusation of rape, Ronaldo paid Mayorga $375,000 in a settlement and confidentiality agreement. Mayorga is asking the court to invalidate the agreement on the grounds that Ronaldo and his legal team took advantage of her fragile emotional state to coerce her into signing it.
September 8, 2020 – Scores his 100th international goal in Portugal’s Nations League match against Sweden, becoming just the second man in history to reach the milestone.
October 13, 2020 – Has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement by the Portuguese Football Federation.
August 31, 2021 – Manchester United confirms the signing of Ronaldo for a second time, completing his transfer from Juventus.
September 1, 2021 – Breaks the men’s all-time international goalscoring record after scoring two goals against Ireland in the Group A World Cup qualifier in Almancil, Portugal.
October 6, 2021 – A federal judge recommends that the rape case against Ronaldo be dismissed, because Mayorga’s attorneys improperly obtained and used information from leaked documents. On June 10, 2022, the case is dismissed. In 2023, Ronaldo is reimbursed over $300,000 for legal fees he spent while defending himself. US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey ruled the attorney representing Mayorga, Leslie Stovall, pay Ronaldo. The court found Stovall owed the money after the attorney was judged to have harmed the footballer through “bad-faith lawyering.”
March 12, 2022 – Scores his 806th career goal against Tottenham, breaking FIFA’s all-time record for most goals in competitive matches in men’s football history.
April 18, 2022 – Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, announce that one of their newborn twins, a boy, has died.
November 22, 2022 – Manchester United announces Ronaldo is leaving the English Premier League club with immediate effect. The announcement comes a week after Ronaldo gave an explosive TV interview about his frustrations at the club.
November 24, 2022 – With a goal in Portugal’s opener against Ghana in Qatar, becomes the first male player in history to score at five World Cups.
December 30, 2022 – Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr announces that Ronaldo has joined the team.
March 23, 2023 – Ronaldo breaks the all-time men’s international appearance record after captaining Portugal in its Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein in Lisbon.
February 28, 2024 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation announces Ronaldo has been suspended for one match and fined for “provoking” fans in a Saudi Pro League match.
September 5, 2024 – Becomes the first man to score 900 career goals during Portugal’s UEFA Nations League group stage match against Croatia in Lisbon. Ronaldo’s goal is his 131st for Portugal, which extends his record for most international goals in world football.
June 2025 – Signs a new two-year deal with his current club, Al Nassr, reportedly worth more than $400 million in tax free earnings.
June 23, 2026 – Becomes the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. Ronaldo has scored during all six consecutive World Cups in which he has played.
Culled from Cristiano Ronaldo hints at ‘last year of football’ | CNN
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