Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to extend his career well into his forties, with a new contract at Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr thought to be close.
Ronaldo celebrated his 40th birthday in February and has continued to score goals at a prolific rate in the early weeks of his fifth decade on planet earth. It’s 32 in 35 appearances across all competitions for the Portugal icon, including six in his last four Saudi Pro League games alone.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star has undeniably benefitted from leaving top level European leagues for a less intense and lower overall quality competition – evident in his numbers after posting a 50-goal season in 2023/24 for the first time in eight years.
But that kind of output at his age, long after most professional footballers have called it a day, is still extremely admirable all the same.
Ronaldo’s Al Nassr contract is up at the end of the season, which had brought speculation about what might come next for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. But Marca writes that a new one-year deal, which includes the option of a second for the player, is “about to be signed”. With it, an extension of his already world-leading wages of €200m per season.
That contract could take Ronaldo to the end of 2026/27 with Al Nassr, who are still searching for a first league title since 2019 after falling short again this season. By then, Ronaldo will have turned 42, but there is every chance that he could also have reached 1,000 career goals.
As of this moment, Ronaldo has scored 933 across his five professional clubs and Portugal – getting his first as a 17-year-old with Sporting CP in 2002. It would take another 67 to hit the four-figure milestone in competitive senior football, something the late Pele never achieved, which would be eminently possible at his current rate of finding the net.
With retirement not on the horizon any time soon, Ronaldo could also get to the 2026 World Cup in North America aged 41. That would make him the second oldest outfield player in World Cup history, behind only Roger Milla, who was 42 at the 1994 tournament.
However, just what kind of impact Ronaldo could have at that level remains to be seen. His international performances outside of facing weaker European teams in qualifying and Nations League games have been disappointing, with poor tournaments in both 2022 and 2024.
