Ronaldo hints at retirement, Messi and Yamal among Ballon d'Or contenders

Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that the current season could be the last of his career as a professional footballer. The statement currently comes from a single source, CNN Sport; no independent confirmations are available, nor further details on the context in which it was made.

“Last year of football” (transl. from English) — Cristiano Ronaldo, footballer

If confirmed by future developments, the statement would mark the approaching end of one of the longest careers in contemporary football, but at present it remains an allusion, not a formal retirement announcement. According to reports, Ronaldo has not provided further clarification on the timing or manner of a possible departure from the pitch.

In the same time frame, the list of candidates for the men’s 2026 Ballon d’Or was published. Among those nominated are Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, the latter fresh from his World Cup victory. This information also comes from the same single source, CNN Sport, and is not accompanied by a complete list of candidates nor by details on the voting procedure or the selection criteria adopted by the award’s organization.

The two pieces of news, while not directly connected, outline the same moment of generational transition in world football: on one hand, the possibility of an imminent retirement for one of the sport’s longest-serving players, on the other, the presence among the candidates for the most prestigious individual award of an established player like Messi alongside a World Cup winner like Yamal. The coexistence of the two names on the same list, years apart in their respective careers, reflects a phase of transition that international football is going through on multiple fronts.

It is not yet clear when the complete list of candidates will be made fully public, nor on what date the award ceremony is expected to take place. It also remains to be verified, through further sources, both the exact wording of Ronaldo’s statement and the names of the other candidates not yet disclosed.