Cristiano Ronaldo makes one of the biggest announcements of his career in press conference ahead of Spain game

The end is near. Cristiano Ronaldo, the man with the most international goals in football history, has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will be his last.

It has been a record-breaking tournament for the 41-year-old, who has scored a remarkable 146 goals in 232 appearances for Portugal since making his debut in a 1-0 win over Kazakhstan in August 2003.

Earlier this week, he became the oldest-ever player to score in the World Cup knockouts, taking the record off former teammate Pepe, who found the back of the net at 39 years and nine months, after scoring against Croatia.

He is also the first player to score in six different World Cups, with his group stage goal against Uzbekistan coming after he found the net in the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions of the tournament.

Ronaldo continues to prove that age is just a number, but his time on the international stage is coming to an end.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of Portugal's last 16 clash against Spain, the forward confirmed that this summer's World Cup will be his last with A Selecao.

"I want to enjoy it as much as possible, because it will be my last World Cup," he told reporters, as per A Bola. "But I hope that tomorrow won't be my last game in the World Cup."

"Vai ser o meu último mundial" 🗣️ Cristiano Ronaldo 😢#DAZNFIFAWC pic.twitter.com/aESFoNG9Tr

— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) July 5, 2026

Earlier on in the press conference, Ronaldo said he had "given all I could" to football, more than two decades after making his international bow.

“I will finish when I choose," he said. "You always ask the same question: is this the last one? We will see. I don’t want to draw attention to this, the most important thing is to play well tomorrow.

“I’m going to be perfectly honest, regardless of ‌what ​happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be 1000% leaving with a clear conscience.

“I ⁠have given all I could to ⁠football, it’s my passion to play for so many years. I didn’t do it out of need, I’m doing well out of life. It’s about passion. I play for the national team and I love to play football.

“Regardless of what happens tomorrow I’m not going to exert pressure on myself that I must ​win.

“You have to enjoy every match at a huge competition like the World Cup," added Ronaldo. "I think I’m not doing so bad. I’ve scored three goals, others have done better but I think I’m doing not so ⁠bad.”

Cristiano Ronaldo's sister has already dropped retirement bombshell

In the build-up to Portugal's win over Croatia, Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro claimed the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward would retire from international football after his "last dance".

“Enjoy it while it lasts," Aveiro said. "It's ending soon. The info I have, from a reliable source… this is his last dance. I believe it’s not today that they’ll say goodbye, but it’s coming soon. I strongly believe this is the farewell."

She added: “So enjoy it a lot because it will be difficult to find someone after 200 goals. I’m talking about the Portuguese national team."

Speaking after the game, Ronaldo said his future is "not what matters at this moment” and he will "talk about it later".