On the 5th of February 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo turned 40, an age at which the vast majority of professional footballers have retired from playing. Somewhat amazingly, Micah Richards, who seems to have been a pundit for about 10 years, is only 36! Wayne Rooney was born in the same year as Ronaldo, 1985, but will not turn 40 until late October, and not only did he retire from playing long ago, he has already failed enough times in management to suggest that a third career could be underway before CR7 hangs up his boots. If he ever does.
There is a theory – made up by us admittedly – that Ronaldo is, in fact, an alien mutant, sent here to test human credulity. On a planet far, far away, they are watching to see at what point humans go, “hang on a minute, this fella’s got 26,000 goals and is 524 years old”.
On a more serious note, and returning to the notion of giving context to just how old Ronaldo is, there are currently two managers in the Premier League younger than the Portuguese maestro. Kieran McKenna is 38 and Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler is just 31, whilst Ruben Amorim is just nine days older than Ronaldo. Mikel Arteta and Andoni Iraola are 42 and Enzo Maresca is 44. The oldest boss in England’s top flight is 61 (David Moyes), but Ronaldo is far closer in age to him than he is to several players in the Premier League, with Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri, for example, 23 years younger than CR7!
Where Is He Now?
From @TheAthleticFC: Cristiano Ronaldo turns 40, today. He has not mellowed with age. Time has done nothing to soften his sharp edges, to temper his competitive zeal, to slow his unrelenting drive. https://t.co/FPeIQrQhRH
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 5, 2025
We have firmly established that Ronaldo is, at 40, a football pensioner. Sorry if that makes you feel old but we assure you, it is the same for us! Incredibly, the Portuguese attacker has scored double-digit goals in every single season since 2005/06, when he hit 12 for Man United.
Of course, in most of those campaigns he struck considerably more than 10 goals, 33 being his worst return in nine seasons with Real Madrid, where he twice broke the 60 barrier and got 50 or more goals in six campaigns overall.
He now finds himself a rung or three down from Real Madrid, where he won four of his five Champions League titles. All careers have a natural trajectory that takes in their early developmental years, a peak and then a steady – though sometimes rapid (Big Meeks, we’re looking at you) – decline. Ronaldo’s career path is different from most footballers because his 30s probably saw his output increase and just when we thought he couldn’t get any better, he did.
Saudi Pro League
But even Ronaldo has to bow to age, if not quite as low or as creakily as most of us and so now, at the age of 40, he finds himself playing not in La Liga and the Champions League, but in the Saudi Pro League. He joined Al Nassr at the end of 2022, receiving wages thought to be around €200m a year in total.
He was approaching his 38th birthday at the time and, indeed, did not make his first appearance for the Riyadh outfit until he had hit that ripe old age. 38 is probably seen as about the oldest that most players will play at any decent level. If we consider the 2024/25 Premier League season, there are three outfield players of that age or older who have appeared: Ashley Young (39), James Milner and Jamie Vardy.
Vardy has eight goals and three assists from 23 games at the time of writing, whilst Young has also made 23 appearances, and Milner has largely been injured this season, though has played. Now, Ronaldo is not playing at a level anywhere near that of the PL. But he is also around 18 months older than Vardy and Young. And, despite being 40, CR7 boasts 23 goals from just 25 games this season for the Saudi side.
Still a Star Player
In the SPL he has netted 15 times in 17 matches, with his side currently third. He also helped them qualify easily from the league stage of the Asian Champions League. He is still very much a star player, delivering on the pitch in terms of goals just as much as he does off it, in terms of the publicity and respect he brings to football in Saudi.
He has won silverware with every team he has played for, though his success with Al Nassr has been rather limited. Prior to moving to Saudi Arabia, he won two Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia with Juventus, whilst his only trophy thus far with Al Nassr has been the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup.
Ronaldo’s Current Stats
A whole book could be written detailing the many facts, stats and records about the Madeira man’s career. No doubt one – or many – will be once he finally retires (and in so doing disproves the mutant-alien theory). We do not have the space for such an in-depth look at his incredible career. Here, however, are just a few nuggets to illustrate his incredible longevity, fitness and resistance to injury (correct as of 6/2/25).
- Club Games – Ronaldo has played 1,046 matches, for Sporting B, Sporting Lisbon, Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr.
- Goals – Those matches have seen him score 788 goals.
- Madrid Golden Era – He won four Champions Leagues and two La Ligas with Real. He also netted 450 goals in just 438 games.
- Peak of the Peak – He scored 50+ goals in six consecutive seasons for Real Madrid but peaked in 2014/15 with 61 from 54 games.
- 5 Champions League Wins – His total of five Champions League wins means that only three players have won more, including in the European Cup era.
- Record for International Caps – He has played 217 times for Portugal (including 12 in 2024), earning 21 more caps than any other player in history.
- Record International Goals – He is still scoring for Portugal too, his seven strikes in 2024 taking him to 135. Lionel Messi is still playing and boasts 112 goals from 191 games for Argentina.
- Ballon d’Or – Only Messi (eight) has more wins than CR7’s five.
- 100 Club – Ronaldo has over 100 goals for Man United, Real Madrid, Juve and Portugal. He needs just 13 more with Al Nassr to reach that mark.
- 1,000 Goals Next? – Ronaldo’s quest to reach 1,000 goals may take a while yet and there will always be debate over what goals count and what don’t (friendlies, junior games, etc). However, by most accounts he has at least 923, so watch this space!