Al-Nassr plan to host historic retirement ceremony for Cristiano Ronaldo after 2026 FIFA World Cup - Reports
Al-Nassr are reportedly planning to hold a historic retirement ceremony for Cristiano Ronaldo following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Saudi journalist Ali Al-Harbi has posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the ceremony will take place in early 2027. He says that it will take place after the World Cup which could be where Ronaldo, 38, brings an end to his professional career.
Al-Harbi tweeted (as translated from Arabic):
"(Al-Nassr) will hold a historic retirement ceremony for the legend Cristiano Ronaldo after the 2026 World Cup, specifically at the beginning of 2027, “where victory will be the final shot and the end for the greatest player in the history of football.”
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December after leaving Manchester United by mutually terminating his contract in November last year. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been an instant success in Saudi Arabia.
The Portugal captain has bagged 25 goals and eight assists in 30 games across competitions. He has started this season strongly with 11 goals and six assists in 11 games across competitions.
Ronaldo has won the Saudi Pro League Player of the Month in August and September. The legendary forward is turning back the years in the Middle East as Saudi football's poster boy.
However, many have pondered when the greatest goalscorer in history will hang up his boots. Recent reports claim that Al-Nassr intend to hold talks with Ronaldo to extend his contract to 2027. He has just over a year left in his current deal.
Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to reaching 200 international caps
Cristiano Ronaldo is also still wreaking havoc on the international stage and recently helped Portugal qualify for Euro 2024. The iconic forward bagged a brace in the 3-2 home win against Slovakia in qualifying, confirming the Selecao's place at the European Championships next year.
Those goals took him on to 125 in 202 international caps. He was given an award by the Portuguese Football Confederation ahead of the clash with Slovakia for reaching 200 caps, which he did in the 1-0 win at Iceland in June.
Ronaldo has posted a montage of some of his best moments for Portugal on Instagram, captioning it:
"CR 200. To the first 200 chapters of an epic story."
Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in 2003 and has become the greatest goalscorer in men's international football. He will now look to appear in a record-extending sixth European Championships in Germany next summer. No other player has played in more than four.