I’ve been preparing my future since I was 25, 26, 27, so I think I’ll be able to handle that pressure, said the Portuguese in his interview with Piers Morgan.
Cristiano Ronaldo opens up about the end, but he does so with the same discipline that shaped his career.
By admitting that retirement will be soon, he recognizes the emotional weight of the moment and accepts that he will cry. He says he cries easily, that he does not repress feelings, that he prefers honesty to posture. At the same time, he emphasizes that he prepared for this since he was 25, 26, 27, when many still live only on the impulse of talent. In his case, long term vision always walked alongside competitive hunger. The message is simple and mature. The end will be hard, but it does not need to be chaotic.
The link between this phase and his current competition inevitably runs through the Saudi Pro League. Daily life at Al Nassr frames the final stretch of his career with a demanding context different from the European elite. The calendar combines domestic rounds, long trips within the country, regional commitments, and high media exposure. It is an ecosystem that requires precision in load planning, recovery days, and travel management. Ronaldo lives this cycle as a permanent laboratory. The body demands smart choices. Training is no longer quantity. It is quality, specificity, measured stimuli, and metrics that allow him to reach the match with legs and mind in the ideal place.
On the pitch, he remains a positional and emotional reference. His range of action is no longer measured only by bursts. It is measured by reading spaces, timing runs, attacking the first zone of the box, and coordinating with wingers and fullbacks. He attracts markers, drags defenses, and creates passing lines for the third man. In a league that is rising in intensity and organization, his mere presence forces opponents to adjust blocks and cover. That opens paths for teammates who have grown by riding his standard of demand. The daily example is a method. Nutrition, sleep, prevention, gym work, finishing and heading routines. The legacy is not only goals. It is replicable habits.
Off the pitch, the impact is structural. The Saudi Pro League is investing in training centers, sports science, and academies. A figure with Ronaldo’s authority accelerates learning curves. Clinics with youth coaches, sharing recovery routines, conversations about competitive mindset and professionalism. When he talks about preparing for after his career, he is also talking about leaving a template. He does not hide that nothing replaces the adrenaline of scoring. The stadium in turmoil, the second when the ball goes in, the electric current that runs through the pitch. But he understands that he can transform that emotional capital into projects with continuity. Mentorship, sports education, links between clubs and schools, health and physical activity initiatives for the community.
The family dimension cuts through everything. He wants more time for himself and especially for his children. He feels the absence of his daughter Bella when trips pile up. He wants to accompany Cristiano Jr., who lives the phase where curiosity walks close to error. He wants to be with Mateo, who also loves the game. The plan is simple. Be present. Be the adult who helps choose well without crushing the joy of discovery. This is where public honesty and private discipline meet. The same transparency with which he admits he will cry supports the way he explains to his children what counts in training, in rest, at school, and in life.
The Messi topic appears as always. They ask if he is better than him. He answers that he does not agree with that opinion and that he does not want to be humble. It is not empty arrogance. It is coherence with an identity forged in the refusal of limits. The rivalry pushed both to unlikely peaks. Today, as the end approaches, the phrase sounds less like provocation and more like a statement of principles. Ambition was the engine. It still is, even if applied to new goals.
The competitive reality in Saudi Arabia also helps explain the discourse about the end. The league is gaining tactical density and attracting diverse profiles. For an elite veteran, this creates a double platform. On one hand, it keeps the demand high enough to sharpen routines, make decisions under pressure, and compete for titles. On the other, it allows him to lead a process of cultural construction. Adjust training standards, speed up the professionalization of departments, set targets for academies and technical teams. It is the kind of influence that can outlast the final season as a player.
From a physical point of view, the transition requires humility and method. The player who for years was an example of preparation knows the signs of fatigue and knows that the secret lies in anticipation. Matches on hot pitches, long trips, and high loads require fine management. Controlled exposure to sprints, eccentric work to protect hamstrings, microcycles with emphasis on quality and not volume. There are no heroics. There are informed decisions. The ability to say no to an extra session can be worth more than saying yes to training that only feeds the ego.
Then there is the future off the pitch. Ronaldo has already built a brand, businesses, and partnerships. The challenge is to channel that structure toward a purpose that makes sense when the final whistle comes. Youth development programs with clear metrics, support for coach education, scholarships for talents with poor access to good environments, social initiatives linked to education and health. He can also take on strategic advisory roles in high performance. Explain how to create a culture of daily excellence. How to measure what is not seen in statistics. How to turn ambition into processes.
None of this cancels the central emotional truth. It will hurt. There will be tears. And that is fine. Greatness is not only a collection of records. It is the way you close the cycle with respect for your own body, for the family, for the fans, and for the game. By speaking without filters, Ronaldo helps normalize the end for a generation that grew up seeing him as inevitable. Time passes for everyone, but what remains are the standards we leave. In the Saudi Pro League, at Al Nassr, in the national team, in his children, in the kids who imitate him today in the school yard.
The calendar will say when the farewell happens. Until then, each match is also a practical class in transition. Compete at the highest level, teach by example, prepare the succession, accept emotion without shame. When the day comes, the absence of the goal’s adrenaline will be real. In return there will be another energy. Seeing a son make a good decision, a young player learn better, a league take another solid step. It is an honest trade. And it seems to be exactly the one Ronaldo is willing to make.