Cristiano Ronaldo has turned 40, a milestone many footballers do not reach while still playing at a top level. Despite his age, the Al-Nassr star remains focused on breaking records and proving that age is just a number.
Ronaldo, a Portuguese football legend, celebrated his 40th birthday on Wednesday. He joins the ranks of other football greats who played beyond 40, like Gianluigi Buffon (retired at 45), Paolo Maldini, Ryan Giggs (both played until 40), Zlatan Ibrahimović (scored at 41), Pelé (played until 42), and Kazuyoshi Miura, who is still active in his 50s.
Ronaldo, also known as CR7, has made over 1,200 professional appearances—the most by any outfield player—and has scored over 900 goals for both clubs and his country. This makes him the top goalscorer in football history.
Ronaldo has always been confident about his skills. In an interview on Spanish TV, he said, “I think I’m the most complete player to have existed. If you like Messi, Pele, Maradona, I understand that and I respect that—but saying Ronaldo isn’t complete? I haven’t seen anybody better than me, and I say it from the heart.”
Interestingly, Ronaldo once thought he would retire at 30, but he has outperformed himself in his 30s, scoring 460 goals compared to 440 goals in his 20s.
“Costa, I’m going to play until the age of 30 and then I’ll do something different. Two decades later, Ronaldo is still rewriting the script,” his former Portugal teammate, Costinha, shared.
Even at 40, Ronaldo has big goals:
– Playing in the 2026 World Cup and aiming to win it.
– Scoring 1,000 career goals (he currently has 923).
– Reaching 250 international caps for Portugal (he has 217 now).
– Sharing the football field with his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., who plays in Al-Nassr’s youth team.
On Tuesday night, Al-Nassr celebrated Ronaldo’s last goal in his 30s—a powerful strike in a 4-0 win over Al Wasl. They captioned the video, “For the history books: the final goal of the 30s soared through Riyadh skies. #GOAT.”
Ronaldo’s former coach, Luis Castro, believes he can play for “one, two, or even three more years.” As Ronaldo steps into his 40s, he continues to defy time with his passion and performance.
Ronaldo’s first match as a 40-year-old will be on Friday in the Saudi Pro League against Al Feiha. Al-Nassr is currently third in the league with 38 points, tied with Al Qadisiyah. Al Hilal and Al Ittihad lead the table with 46 points each.
