39 is the age where soccer players aren’t even seen playing but not Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar is certainly in a league of his own as he continues to chase numbers like a machine. Call it his phenomenal fitness levels or unbeatable mindset, whatever keeps him going, it definitely tends to work in his favor—until now, as Ronaldo has finally spoken what fans were afraid to hear: ‘I don’t have much time left.’

The shocking revelation was made just after Al Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Al Rayyan in the AFC Champions League Matchday 2 of the group stages. During the presser, while addressing his and the team’s performance, Ronadlo’s future became a topic of concern. Interestingly, instead of being hesitant over responding to the query, he made a confident response that surely won’t fit in the books of ardent fans.

“I’m enjoying playing football now and I know I don’t have much time left on the pitch,” said Ronaldo, as compiled by @TheNassrZone on X. A stark reality indeed, as the 39-year-old himself is aware that he doesn’t have much time left to play. It’s just a matter of time before we see him hang up his boots for real. When it will be is exactly a million-dollar question that nobody can answer. 

“He’s gonna score goals till 50,” once joked Eden Hazard about Ronaldo, who himself hung up his boots aged 32. Many would be hoping that the former Chelsea and Real Madrid star’s prophecy turns out to be true. However, an earlier revelation from Cristiano’s beloved girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez doesn’t align with these claims.

When the Argentine-Spanish model was asked to give an estimate about Ronaldo’s retirement, she responded, “Cristiano one year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.” No wonder the 5x Ballon d’Or winner’s iconic boss Sir Alex Ferguson shockingly insisted that he doesn’t imagine CR7 playing in the 2026 World Cup for Portugal and rather urged his former disciple to retire before the prestigious tournament.

However, there at least must be a guesstimate of how many years down the road are there for the legendary forward. Well, a little birdie may have an answer to this!

Rio Ferdinand was left ‘gobsmacked’ after hearing the number of years

A few months ago, England legend Rio Ferdinand invited his followers to submit questions on X, formerly Twitter, for his segment, Rio Reacts. One fan asked how many more seasons he thought Cristiano Ronaldo would continue playing. Ferdinand responded with a 19-second video, captioned, “Cristiano won’t be retiring any time soon… watch this space 👀.” But wait, there’s a concerning part!

When addressing the question, Ferdinand said, “Listen, I can’t give too much away. But I’ve been doing a few bits with Cristiano behind the scenes and…he’s playing as long as he wants. He ain’t going nowhere and…I was gobsmacked and listen, you’ll see it in time but…minimum 3 years I think he plays for again.” With his close connection to Ronaldo, it seems Ferdinand has already had ‘the hard talk’ about the star’s career.

The revelation surely wouldn’t have music to ears but there’s nothing we can do other than cherish his presence on the pitch for the time being. Regardless, we would like to know your opinion on when Cristiano Ronaldo will hang up his boots in the comments.