On the day of Portugal’s round of 32 clash against Croatia, Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister teased the 2026 World Cup is the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s “last dance” for the national team. Ronaldo made history this summer, alongside Lionel Messi and Guillermo Ochoa, by competing in his sixth World Cup. He also became the first player, man or woman, to score in six World Cups, adding to his legacy as arguably the greatest goalscorer in the history of the sport. Now at 41 years old, Ronaldo is always fielding questions of his potential retirement, both from the international stage and the club level. The Al Nassr captain has never given an exact date beyond a loose estimation in 2025 of a couple more years, but his sister Kátia Aveiro seemingly just spoiled the secret when it comes to his Portugal chapter. Speaking to reporters outside BMO Field in Toronto ahead of Portugal’s knockout clash against Croatia on Thursday night, occasional popstar Aveiro revealed, “From the information I have, he can say goodbye. Enjoy it while it lasts. It’s not today that he’s saying goodbye, but it’s soon.”Her words implied there could be some sort of send-off back home once the World Cup is over.“I believe this is his farewell. Enjoy it a lot. It will be difficult to find someone like him.”Aveiro then appeared to have to clarify that she was specifically talking about Ronaldo’s career with the Portugal national team, which began in 2003.“After 1,000 goals [he will retire]? Yes, that’s something. I’m talking about the national team. The information I have, from a reliable source, I believe this [World Cup] is his last dance.”Going all the way to World Cup glory for that “last dance” will be an uphill struggle for a Portugal team no longer on an even footing with the best on the planet.Ronaldo’s Legacy Is Missing One Trophy Cristiano Ronaldo has never won a World Cup trophy. | Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire/Getty ImagesShould Ronaldo indeed walk away from the international stage in the wake of the 2026 World Cup, the forward would hope to do so on July 19, after Portugal win the final for the first time. The golden trophy is the one accolade missing from his personal collection and it would be a fitting way to cap off a brilliant career with the Seleção das Quinas.Ronaldo comes into Portugal’s clash with Croatia with 231 caps and 145 goals to his name; both are records in men’s international soccer. He would love to nothing more than to get on the scoresheet and score his first career World Cup knockout goal to help his country make it to the round of 16.For all his shortcomings on the world stage, Ronaldo helped deliver Portugal its first-ever European Championship in 2016 and two UEFA Nations League titles. Before he came through the ranks, the European country had never won a major trophy. As he reached the twilight of his career, Ronaldo has dealt with mounting criticism about whether is better off as a substitute rather than the person leading Roberto Martínez’s line. The 41-year-old has only found the back of the net twice in Portugal’s three group stage matches this summer, and both came against Uzbekistan. Before that, he failed to score at all during Euro 2024.Martínez has made it clear there is still room for Ronaldo in his XI for as long as the Real Madrid icon wishes to play, but his iconic front man is seemingly inching closer and closer to pulling down the curtain on his international career. In Pursuit of 1,000 GoalsPlaying in Saudi Arabia has boosted Ronaldo’s goalscoring and extended his career. | Abdullah Ahmed/Getty ImagesRonaldo’s appearance against Croatia in Toronto is the 1,329th senior match he has played in across club and international level. He went into the tie on 975 goals, which already makes him the leading scorer of all time in the eyes of the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), but just 25 more would deliver the holy grail: 1,000.That will certainly be achievable in Saudi Arabia next season, where Ronaldo’s numbers have surged once more over the past four years after understandably beginning to dip in Europe. If his Portugal career is to end quite imminently, his club career also won’t be very far behind.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow