"Please, for the sake of your legacy, score your 1,000 goals and then call it a day." That's former Arsenal midfielder Anders Limpar, and he's not wrong to say it out loud.
Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk, Limpar was direct about where Cristiano Ronaldo's career should end — after the 2026 World Cup, not in an MLS stadium at 42 or 43 years old. The Swede has watched Ronaldo defy age long enough to respect the longevity, but he sees what's coming if the Portuguese star doesn't pick the right exit.
The MLS idea doesn't hold up
Ronaldo is 41. He just returned from a hamstring injury that kept him out from February 28 until April 3 — over five weeks on the sidelines. He scored twice in Al-Nassr's 5-2 win over Al-Najma on his return, taking his career tally to 967 goals, but the injury absences are coming more frequently now. His current Al-Nassr deal runs until 2027, and he told Piers Morgan in November 2025 that retirement would come "soon." How soon is the question nobody has a clean answer to.
Limpar's argument against MLS is worth taking seriously. "It's not an easy league to play in. There are many very good players over there," he said — a fair point that often gets glossed over when people picture Ronaldo breezing through American football. Lionel Messi has shown MLS demands more than it used to. A struggling Ronaldo in that environment wouldn't be a fairytale ending. It would be the thing people remember.
33 goals to go, and a World Cup to finish
The math is clean: 33 goals to reach 1,000, one final World Cup in 2026, then done. Portugal's last two games saw Ronaldo sidelined through injury, which will sharpen the debate around his place in the squad as the tournament approaches. His retirement odds and Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League title price both deserve a second look given how much his availability has fluctuated this season.
Limpar put it as plainly as it gets: "Nobody can get close to achieving what he has achieved as a football player. Come on. Don't be stubborn. Just face life and pack it in."
