"This will be my last World Cup, but let's hope tomorrow isn't my last game." It was. Mikel Merino's 91st-minute winner for Spain ended Portugal's 2026 campaign — and brought down the curtain on Cristiano Ronaldo's six-tournament World Cup story.
The 41-year-old walked off the pitch in tears in Dallas, having done everything he could. Three goals in the tournament. A historic brace against Uzbekistan that made him the first player ever to score in six separate World Cups. A penalty against Croatia in the Round of 32 — his first ever goal in a World Cup knockout match, in his sixth attempt. The numbers are staggering. The trophy remains missing.
A career that defies easy summary
Ronaldo has been carrying Portugal at World Cups since 2006. Twenty years. Six tournaments. The wins, the near-misses, the criticism, the obsessive conditioning that kept him competitive well past the age most footballers have retired or declined into irrelevance.
He addressed the scrutiny head-on before the Spain match: "I'm thankful even for the attacks I receive, turning 40 — and I hope to live another 40 years — with the criticism. That's how you grow the most as a person." That's not false modesty. That's someone who genuinely ran on the friction.
His Al-Nassr contract runs through June 2027, so club football continues for at least another year. International retirement isn't confirmed yet either — he's been careful to say the World Cup is finished, not the Portugal shirt. But realistically, what's left? Euro 2028 at 43? That would be something else entirely.
The empire off the pitch
While Portugal's World Cup exit will sting, Ronaldo's life beyond football is firmly in order. His property portfolio spans six countries and makes most retirement plans look modest.
- Lisbon: Two properties, including a $10 million penthouse — the most expensive apartment ever sold in the city when he bought it in 2018.
- Madrid: A La Finca mansion complete with a cryochamber, indoor pool, and a private football pitch, now listed for rent at around $15,000 a month.
- Madeira: An $11.4 million seven-story conversion from a former nightclub, where his mother and brother live full time.
- Turin: A twin villa above the city in one of its most exclusive neighbourhoods, with spa, gym, and multiple pools.
- Marbella: A $2.2 million holiday home in the development locals call "Superstars' Cul-de-Sac" — neighbours include Conor McGregor.
- Cascais: His most extravagant Portuguese purchase — a $45 million estate with a tennis court, home theatre, two pools, and a 30-car garage.
- Riyadh: A residence in Al-Muhammadiyah, one of the Saudi capital's most exclusive areas, acquired when he joined Al-Nassr in 2022.
- Dubai: A waterfront mansion on Jumeirah Bay Island — accessible only by private bridge — added in 2024.
Bloomberg's Billionaires Index puts his net worth at $1.4 billion USD, making him the first footballer to reach verified billionaire status. The endorsements — Nike, Armani, TAG Heuer — have been as lucrative as the contracts. There's also a wedding to plan: he proposed to Georgina Rodriguez in 2025 after eight years together.
The World Cup won't be won. Everything else, it seems, already has been.
