Hyderabad, Aug. 18 -- For more than two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the most recognisable and successful figures in world football. But now, at the age of 41, Ronaldo has announced that his extraordinary journey is approaching its end. In an interview published on August 16, he said that the 2026-27 season would "probably" be his final year in football. He wants to leave the game with a "spectacular legacy."

As of August 2026, Ronaldo had scored 976 senior goals for club and country, leaving him tantalisingly close to the extraordinary 1,000-goal landmark. He had once said that he will leave the game after having scored 1,000 goals. Now he probably hopes to reach that landmark in the coming season and bow out in a blaze of...