Cristiano Ronaldo has been wearing the Portugal shirt for 22 years and the debate over his retirement continues to linger.
The 40-year-old remains the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 141 goals in 223 appearances, achievements that stretch back to his debut in 2003 against Kazakhstan.
Even now, after Portugal’s Nations League victory over Spain three months ago, the questions about how much longer he can carry on have not gone away.
That final in the Allianz Arena, Munich ended with Portugal winning 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, and Ronaldo again left his mark by scoring.
Yet before that Portugal’s second Nations League victory he acknowledged the reality of time.
“My philosophy has always been to live in the now, without thinking too much about what’s coming next,” he said [via beinsports]
“And so far, it’s worked well because I enjoy every moment. I won’t lie to you, I know time isn’t on my side. But as long as I can, I’ll keep going. ”
“Of course, there may come a day when I wake up and decide I don’t want to play anymore,”
Those words left uncertainty hanging over his future but a former teammate believes the answer is already clear.
Ex-Real Madrid star reveals till when Cristiano Ronaldo will play
Ricardo Carvalho who featured in 138 games alongside Ronaldo for both Portugal and their time at Real Madrid said the forward will play until he wants.
“I feel like it will be as long as he wants,” he said to A Bola
“The truth is, he's earned so much credit over all these years… And I think he's doing well, which is the most important thing.”
“It helps; you feel like he's part of the team, and you feel like he can help. Coach Roberto, especially, had all the merit in bringing him back to the national team after the 2022 World Cup . ”
“The coach's feeling, in the meetings we've had, is that Cristiano will be capable of making it to the World Cup . I have no idea how long he can go, if there's a limit or not, but we're all very happy that he's our captain and leading the team the way he has.”
Ronaldo last played for Portugal on September 9, 2025 against Hungary where he scored his 39th World Cup qualifying goal making him the joint highest scorer with Guatemala forward Carlos Ruiz and standing three ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
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