40-year-old Ronaldo renews his contract shockingly! The three major hard-core conditions for renewal are revealed

In May 2025, Ronaldo, who is about to turn 41, has once again become the focus of football. According to Saudi media "Okaz" and Spanish "Maca", the Portuguese superstar's successful contract renewal negotiations with Riyadh have entered the final stage, and the contract period may be extended to 2027, when he will continue to compete in the green field at the age of 43. This decision not only broke the previous rumors of "retirement in 2025", but also marked another counter-trend expansion in Ronaldo's career.

Ro's contract extension is not simply an extension of the contract, but is surrounded by tough demands on team reform. According to internal news, he proposed three core conditions: lineup cleaning: requiring the removal of four foreign players, including goalkeeper Bento, to free up places to introduce higher-level players; retain the core: strive to protect five central axis players including Mane and Otavio, and maintain tactical stability; coach changes: dissatisfied with the current coach Pioli, and demanded the introduction of more innovative coaches. To meet these conditions, approximately RMB 380 million is required, covering signings, terminations and coaching staff adjustments. Although the senior executives of Riyadh Victory recognize Ronaldo's commercial value, the team's recent sluggish record (fourth in the league and out of the AFC Champions League) cast a shadow on the cooperation.

Royce's Saudi journey has always been accompanied by polar evaluations.

Behind the highlights: the efficiency of 32 goals and 4 assists in 35 games this season, the savior's performance in scoring four consecutive games in the AFC Champions League proves that he is still a top scorer. The Saudi League's ratings soared due to his joining franchise, commercial sponsorship surged, and the CR7 brand's binding to Saudi tourism industry has brought hundreds of millions of euros.

Cruel reality: In key battles, Ronaldo was lost repeatedly. In the 2025 AFC Champions League semi-finals, the goal conversion rate of Saudi Arabia's goal was reduced to 12% in key matches in the past two years, which is a dazzling contrast to the dominance of 1.2 goals per game in the Champions League at its peak. The opponent's coach even said bluntly: "He no longer has the ability to change the situation alone." Ronaldo's contract renewal ambition is closely linked to two historic goals:

World Cup Six: If he debuted in the 2026 US, Canada and Mexico World Cup, he will set a record of participation at the age of 41 and make up for the final gap in national team honors;

Thousand-Ball Mileage: Even if he chooses to retire in 2026, he still plans to play for the Portuguese team as a free agent and strive for the Thousand-Ball Mark.

From Manchester United to Riyadh, every choice of Ronaldo is accompanied by controversy, but no one can deny his challenge to the limit. His contract renewal is a game between individual heroism and team reality, an interweaving of business empire and competitive ideals, and an declaration of war on the law of time by older athletes.

Saudi media once commented: "Royce's success in Saudi Arabia is 50% based on goals and 50% based on symbolic meaning." Regardless of whether he can win the trophy in the end, he has already carved new coordinates on the football territory as a pioneer.

Legend will never end, but the price of the legend may only be measured by time.