The 41-year-old spoke about his future in a joint interview with his wife, Georgina Rodríguez, published by Vogue on Sunday, saying he is beginning to think seriously about life after football.

“This will probably be my last year in football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo said.

After 25 years as a professional, he said retirement would give him more time for his family and the opportunity to travel, play padel and enjoy the life he has built away from the game.

Ronaldo added that he already has his future “all mapped out”, acknowledging that football will leave a significant gap after dominating so much of his life.

His comments come as he returns to Al Nassr following an extended break after this summer’s World Cup. Ronaldo watched from the stands as the Saudi champions began their new league campaign with a 3-0 victory over Al Fateh, with manager Ange Postecoglou allowing him additional time to regain match fitness.

Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr runs until June 2027, making the end of the current season a natural point at which one of football’s most remarkable careers could come to a close.

The race to 1,000 goals

There may still be one historic achievement to come.

Ronaldo currently has 976 official goals for club and country, putting him just 24 away from reaching 1,000.

He added another three goals to his total during this summer’s World Cup, his sixth appearance at the tournament. Portugal were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the last 16.

Attention now returns to Saudi Arabia, where Ronaldo will again play alongside Portuguese international João Félix as Al Nassr attempt to defend their league title.

His future with Portugal remains less clear. Following the World Cup exit, Ronaldo said he would consider whether to continue playing internationally. However, new national team manager Jorge Jesus has indicated that the captain remains part of his plans.

Portugal return to action in September for the Nations League, with the next squad announcement likely to offer the first indication of whether Ronaldo intends to add to his record-breaking international career.

An extraordinary 25 years

If Ronaldo does retire when his Al Nassr contract expires, it will be 25 years after he made his senior debut for Sporting CP in 2002.

Since then, the Madeira-born forward has represented Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr, won five Ballon d’Or awards and become the leading goalscorer in men’s international football.

For now, however, retirement remains a probability rather than a confirmed decision. And with 1,000 goals tantalisingly close, Ronaldo may still have one of the biggest records of his career left to break.