Teddy Sheringham on Cristiano Ronaldo's Longevity: Could He Play Until 50?

Teddy Sheringham has seen longevity up close. He played Premier League football at 40, scored in the top flight when most of his peers had long since retired, and understands the toll elite sport takes on the body. So when he says Cristiano Ronaldo could keep going until 50, he is not reaching for a headline. He is speaking from experience.

Talking to BOYLE Sports, Sheringham looked at Ronaldo’s current condition and barely blinked at the idea of another decade of football.

“Could Cristiano Ronaldo play into his 50s at this rate? It wouldn’t surprise me when you look at his body at 41. He’s still as fit as a fiddle,” Sheringham said. “He’s had his own training team for the past 15 years to keep him in tip top shape and as long as he still has the desire then he will keep going but it’s tough when you get to that age, getting out of bed every day to go and do your training.”

That, really, is the crux of the Ronaldo story now. Not the goals – though they keep coming. Not the medals – there are too many to count. It is the daily grind. The restrictive diet. The cryotherapy. The obsessive routines that have turned a generational talent into a physical outlier.

While most professionals step away in their mid-30s, Ronaldo is still building towards another World Cup. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is preparing to lead Portugal at the 2026 tournament in North America, refusing to let time dictate the end of his international career.

Sheringham, who extended his own career through meticulous preparation, recognises a kindred spirit.

“I’m sure he still loves what he’s doing and he’s playing in a league that’s obviously not as strong as other competitions around the world, but if you’re still scoring goals and people still want you to play, then why not keep going,” he said. “He has an air of invincibility around him, and he’s got the body as well and the fitness, so I think we’ve got plenty of years of Ronaldo to come yet.”

No way back to Europe

For all that admiration, Sheringham is clear on one thing: the Ronaldo who terrorised defences in England, Spain and Italy is not coming back to Europe.

Ronaldo has already conquered the continent. Champions League titles with Real Madrid, domestic crowns with Manchester United, Madrid and Juventus – the European chapter is complete. Even the return of Jose Mourinho to the Bernabeu, a reunion that would light up nostalgia in Madrid, does not tempt Sheringham into believing in a comeback.

“Can I see Cristiano Ronaldo coming back to Real Madrid to play under Jose Mourinho again? Definitely not. He will not be coming back to Europe,” he insisted.

The romance of a final European act collides with the realities of modern football. Wages at Ronaldo’s level, tactical demands at the very top, and the age profile of elite squads all stack against it. The legend remains, but the stage has moved on.

America on the horizon?

If there is to be one last move after Saudi Arabia, Sheringham sees the next step across the Atlantic.

He does not expect Ronaldo to drift quietly into retirement. The pull of a new market, the lure of another league to illuminate, sits there in the background. Lionel Messi has already shifted the needle in MLS. The prospect of Ronaldo joining him, even briefly, would send the league into overdrive.

“He might go to America though if he wants to experience something else,” Sheringham added. “You could see that, and he’d certainly light MLS up like no one else can. Maybe it will all come down to what he wants to do once he finally does retire.”

For now, that decision can wait. Ronaldo’s focus remains split between Al-Nassr and one more tilt at global glory. Portugal open their 2026 World Cup campaign on Wednesday against DR Congo in Group K, with their captain still central to everything they do.

The questions around him used to be about records. Now they are about limits. How long can a body pushed this hard, for this long, keep answering the bell? Sheringham, who stretched the boundaries of a footballer’s lifespan himself, looks at Ronaldo and shrugs: 50 no longer sounds outrageous.