Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Last Dance’? The sister revealed that the Portuguese legend will retire after the World Cup

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (AP Photo) Cristiano Ronaldo’s extraordinary international career could be entering its final chapter, with his sister Katia Aveiro revealing that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the Portugal legend’s “last dance” in the national colours.The emotional unveiling came as Ronaldo continued to rewrite football history, inspiring Portugal to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the round of 32, while also becoming the oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup knockout match and the oldest outfield player to start a men’s World Cup knockout match.Speaking outside Toronto Stadium ahead of Portugal’s knockout clash, Aveiro hinted that the curtain will come down on one of the greatest international careers the game has ever seen.“According to the information I have, they can say goodbye,” she told Sport TV. “Not today, but I believe this is the farewell. I’m talking about the national team. From a reliable source, it’s the ‘last dance’, the World Cup.”

Ronaldo bows out in style with yet another World Cup history

If this is indeed Ronaldo’s farewell tournament with Portugal, he assures it will be one to remember for all the right reasons.Against Croatia, the 41-year-old converted a second-half penalty as Portugal secured their place in the round of 16. This made Ronaldo the oldest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup knockout stage history at 41 years and 147 days, surpassing Lionel Messi’s previous mark.His strike was also his first ever goal in a World Cup knockout match, despite appearing in six editions of the tournament.The Portugal captain also climbed into second place in the all-time list of oldest goalscorers at the World Cup, ahead of only Cameroonian great Roger Milla, who scored in 1994 at 42 years and 39 days.Ronaldo had already created history before kick-off by becoming the oldest player in the field to start a men’s World Cup knockout match. The milestone came just a day after the record was briefly held by Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Edin Dzeko, while Croatia’s Luka Modric also came on, making it the first World Cup game to feature two outfield players over the age of 40.Ronaldo’s appearance was also his 26th at the World Cup, leaving him just one behind Germany legend Lothar Matthäus and three behind all-time leader Lionel Messi.

‘It felt like I was already retired’

Ronaldo’s latest heroics against Croatia completed a remarkable turnaround after he came under heavy criticism following Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo, where he failed to register a shot on target.The experienced striker responded with a boost against Uzbekistan before carrying that momentum into the knockout stages with another match-winning performance against Croatia.Speaking about his return to form after the Uzbekistan match, Ronaldo said: “I knew it. God helps those who work hard. It was a difficult, dark week. I felt like I was already retired from football, but I held on as I always do because I believe in hard work more than football. It was difficult, I must admit, but we are back.”He added: “Very happy, but for me the most important thing is the work the team did and the confidence we had. We got a lot of hits during the week, we knew it was going to happen. The team worked very well and we improved a lot.”

Sister defends Portugal icon amid criticism

Ronaldo’s performances sparked intense debate throughout the tournament, with reports even suggesting unrest in the Portuguese camp after the opening draw.Aveiro earlier appeared to fuel criticism from some of Ronaldo’s team-mates by liking a social media post aimed at Bruno Fernandes, fueling speculation of tensions within the squad.However, after returning to form, she strongly defended her brother.“For intelligent people who like football, they must like Ronaldo,” she said. “They’re the ones losing. It’s been going on for 20 years.”With 232 international appearances and 146 goals for Portugal, Ronaldo is already the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football in his own right.