Topline
Portuguese soccer legend and billionaire Cristiano Ronaldo said this would “probably” be his last year playing the sport professionally, hinting he planned to end his 24-year career in which he became the world’s highest paid athlete.
Key Facts
In a sprawling interview with Vogue focusing on his recent nuptials with longtime girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, the former star forward for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus said “this is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.”
Ronaldo, 41, also insisted he had his future “all mapped out,” which will include having “more fun,” spending time with his family of five children, traveling and playing padel.
Ronaldo previously announced the most recent FIFA World Cup would be his last, telling reporters he was leaving the tournament with a “clear conscience” after Portugal fell to Spain during the round of 16—after playing in the last five editions without getting farther than finishing in fourth place during his first World Cup in 2006.
Ronaldo is one of the most decorated soccer players in the history of the sport—winning five Ballon d’Or awards, captaining Portugal to win the Euros in 2016 and scoring almost 1,000 goals while playing for some of Europe’s biggest teams.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Ronaldo’s net worth is $1.2 billion. The Portuguese soccer star has been the highest paid athlete in the world for the last four years in a row, and made an estimated $300 million in income last year. He has played the last four seasons at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, which is reportedly paying him an estimated $235 million annually. Earlier this year, he became the first athlete in history to gross $2 billion in career earnings before taxes and agent fees while still playing his sport.
Tangent
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, 39, also hinted at retiring in an emotional post on social media last week after his father’s death. “You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times and just before it started was when you were at your worst,” he wrote in Spanish. He added he never had the chance to speak to his father about Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the final, and expressed doubt about continuing his career. “All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” he wrote, before asking his father, “why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?”