Cristiano Ronaldo is going through the final stretch of a legendary career and recently acknowledged in Vogue that 2026 will probably be his last year as a professional footballer. The news invites us to review the moments that marked his history, from his breakout at Manchester United to his consolidation as one of the greatest figures in world football.
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His rise began in Manchester, where he went from being a teenage winger to becoming a star under the orders of Sir Alex Ferguson. In 2009, before moving to Real Madrid, he scored one of his most memorable goals: the long-distance missile against Porto that won the first Puskás Award.
Already in Spain, he starred in unforgettable moments against Barcelona and Manchester United, but none like his spectacular bicycle kick against Juventus in 2018, which even caused the Italian fans to applaud. With Portugal, he also wrote memorable chapters, especially in Russia 2018, when he scored a hat-trick against Spain, including a free kick for the 3-3.
But his career also had controversial episodes. His departure from Manchester United in 2022 after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan was one of the most remembered. In Qatar 2022 he lost his starting position and was eliminated in tears against Morocco; four years later, in his sixth World Cup, Portugal fell to Spain in the round of 16. Ronaldo thus approaches farewell without having won the only major trophy missing from his extraordinary record: the World Cup.
