The brilliant international career of Portuguese football great Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be reaching its final stage. Star footballer Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro has said the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be her brother’s last tournament in a national team shirt. He called it Ronaldo’s “last dance.”
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The revelation comes at a time when Ronaldo, 41, is constantly making history. He scored in the play-off match against Croatia to give Portugal a thrilling 2-1 win and take them through to the next round.
A late winner sends Portugal to the round of 16! 👏#FIFA World Cup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup), July 3, 2026
The sister said: Now say goodbye.
Speaking to Sport TV outside the Toronto stadium, Katia Aveiro said: “As far as I know, people can now say goodbye to him.” Not today, but I think this is his farewell journey with the national team. According to reliable sources, this is his “last dance”, that is, the World Cup. However, neither Ronaldo nor the Portuguese Football Federation has yet made an official announcement about his retirement.
He made history again at the age of 41.
In the match against Croatia in Toronto on Thursday (July 3), Ronaldo scored a penalty in the second half. This made him the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match at the age of 41 years and 147 days.
In this matter, he left behind Lionel Messi’s record. Not only that, it was also the first World Cup knockout goal of his career, although he has played six World Cups.
Now in World Cup history, the only person to score a goal at an older age is Cameroonian great Roger Mila, who scored at the 1994 World Cup at the age of 42 years and 39 days.
Cristiano Ronaldo ✨#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/cDkBhF1jzy
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup), July 3, 2026
Another entry in my name
Even before the match started, Ronaldo set a new record. He became the oldest fielder to take part in a men’s World Cup knockout match. Croatian Luka Modric also took part in this match.
🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric after the final whistle.
Portugal knocks out Croatia and advances to RO16. pic.twitter.com/ZXAjUjygFW
— Sports at Predict (@predictdotsport), July 3, 2026
For the first time in a World Cup match, field players over 40 years of age from both teams took to the field. This was Ronaldo’s 26th World Cup appearance. He is now just one match behind Germany’s Lothar Matthäus, with Lionel Messi topping the list.
Strong comeback after criticism
The start of the tournament was unsuccessful for Ronaldo. In a 1:1 draw with DR Congo, he was unable to even get a single shot on target, let alone score. After this he was criticized a lot. But the experienced striker confidently fought back. He scored two goals against Uzbekistan, and then scored the decisive goal against Croatia and led the team to victory.
For Diogo ❤️#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/v5iwvVp96I
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup), July 3, 2026
Ronaldo’s sister also responded to critics
Following Ronaldo’s poor start, there were reports of discord within the Portugal team. Katya Aveiro previously liked a post on social networks criticizing Bruno Fernandes, after which the discussions intensified. However, he later openly defended his brother. Katya said: People who really understand football, they like Ronaldo. If someone doesn’t like them, it’s their loss. He has been showing his magic to the world for over 20 years.
The stats that made Ronaldo great
Cristiano Ronaldo has so far played 232 international matches for Portugal and scored 146 goals. He is the leading scorer in the history of men’s international football. If Katia Aveiro’s claims are true, one of the greatest international careers in football history will end after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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