Portuguese soccer legend and billionaire Cristiano Ronaldo said this would “probably” be his last year playing the sport professionally, hinting he planned to end his 24-year career in which he became the world’s highest paid athlete.
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The billionaire soccer star has been the highest-paid athlete in the world for the last four years.
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Key Facts
In a sprawling interview with Vogue focusing on his recent nuptials with longtime girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, the former star forward for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus said “this is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.”
Ronaldo, 41, also insisted he had his future “all mapped out,” which will include having “more fun,” spending time with his family of five children, traveling and playing padel.
Ronaldo previously announced the most recent FIFA World Cup would be his last, telling reporters he was leaving the tournament with a “clear conscience” after Portugal fell to Spain during the round of 16—after playing in the last five editions without getting farther than finishing in fourth place during his first World Cup in 2006.
Ronaldo is one of the most decorated soccer players in the history of the sport—winning five Ballon d’Or awards, captaining Portugal to win the Euros in 2016 and scoring almost 1,000 goals while playing for some of Europe’s biggest teams.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Ronaldo’s net worth is $1.2 billion. The Portuguese soccer star has been the highest paid athlete in the world for the last four years in a row, and made an estimated $300 million in income last year. He has played the last four seasons at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, which is reportedly paying him an estimated $235 million annually. Earlier this year, he became the first athlete in history to gross $2 billion in career earnings before taxes and agent fees while still playing his sport.
Tangent
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, 39, also hinted at retiring in an emotional post on social media last week after his father’s death. "You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times and just before it started was when you were at your worst,” he wrote in Spanish. He added he never had the chance to speak to his father about Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the final, and expressed doubt about continuing his career. “All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” he wrote, before asking his father, “why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?”
Further Reading
ForbesHow Cristiano Ronaldo Became A BillionaireBy Hank Tucker
ForbesCristiano Ronaldo Proposed With 50-Carat Diamond Worth An Estimated $3 Million: Here’s How It Compares With Other Famous Wedding RingsBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs %!s()
If you've been eyeing a OnePlus phone, you likely have your priorities set on performance, value and software. Though the company had a couple of rocky launches, the previous few generations of OnePlus smartphones have reclaimed the "flagship killer" title that helped put the brand on the map in the first place. In our review of the OnePlus 15, we had very little to complain about aside from the cameras. At $900, you'd be hard-pressed to find an alternative that delivers the kind of performance the OnePlus 15 does while offering exceptional battery life and an unparalleled software experience.
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Alas, after months of rumors, OnePlus confirmed its exit out of North America and Europe in July. Most of OnePlus' catalog is currently out of stock on its website, but you can still shop for its phones and audio accessories through other retailers like Amazon. The question, however, is should you buy a new OnePlus device now that the company has ceased operations in the US? For most buyers, the answer is probably a no.
Although OnePlus has promised that software and after-sales support for existing OnePlus devices will continue, the company is making a big change to how future software updates will be handled. Longtime OnePlus users will know just how essential OxygenOS has been to the brand's identity, and if they're not getting the software experience they signed up for, it becomes harder to justify buying into an ecosystem that has no future.
Bid farewell to OxygenOS
Adnan Ahmed for Engadget
Easily OnePlus' greatest strength (besides its lineup of overkill smartphones) was the software experience its users got to enjoy. The OnePlus One debuted with CyanogenMod, which was a very community-driven version of Android. The company then made the jump to its own flavor of the operating system, OxygenOS. It was known to offer a clean experience while packing in a ton of customizability. In every review you'll come across of a OnePlus smartphone, you are almost guaranteed to see the reviewer sing praises of how snappy and feature-rich OxygenOS is.
Well, that's changing. Although OnePlus isn't dropping support for the phones it has sold in the US, users who wish to experience newer versions of Android are expected to make the switch to ColorOS — the same software interface that Oppo smartphones use. Users have, understandably, expressed frustration with this decision. However, if you've picked up an Oppo smartphone recently and put it next to your OnePlus device, you'll realize that OxygenOS and ColorOS are darn near identical at this point.
They've been sharing the same codebase since 2021, so there really isn't anything you'll be missing out on by making the switch. Oppo's ColorOS does pack in a bit of bloatware compared to OxygenOS, and it would be sad to see if OnePlus drops the few Easter eggs that helped set its version of Android apart.
High-risk, high-reward
Adnan Ahmed for Engadget
At the beginning of 2026, I had an itch to upgrade to the OnePlus 15, despite all the rumors pointing to the company's potential exit from a few global markets. The phone was simply too good to ignore, so I decided to roll the dice and pick one up. It cost substantially less than competing flagships from Samsung and Apple, and I am okay with not having the best camera system in my smartphone. In return, I get to enjoy a bright OLED display, the insane horsepower that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers, the obnoxiously fast 120W charging speeds and a software experience that feels snappier than any other Android skin I've used.
It also helps that OnePlus doesn't lock you in its ecosystem like Apple does. Even if you decide to pick up a pair of OnePlus Buds or a OnePlus Watch, you can pair them with other Android smartphones without giving up key features.
The bottom line is, if you really want to pick up your final OnePlus smartphone, you can make it work, assuming you're okay with switching to ColorOS. Both the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R are set to receive four major Android OS updates and six years of security patches. After-sales service can be accessed by heading to the OnePlus Support website, and the company claims it will honor existing warranty commitments. %!s()
The Scotland job in 2026 looks a lot different from the one Clarke took on in 2019.
Two months prior to Clarke's appointment, the national team had been humiliated in Kazakhstan. They had not featured at a major finals in two decades.
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Seven years on, Scotland have been at back-to-back European Championships and a World Cup. Clarke qualified for three of four tournaments on his watch.
Pocognoli will be expected to, at least, maintain that success. However, the reason Clarke's exit felt natural for many is that a hefty chunk of fans want to see a change of approach.
Craig Mulholland, the Scottish FA's chief football officer, said Pocognoli "will bring an aggressive, front-foot style of play that will excite supporters", adding that Scotland are aiming to "evolve from a position of strength".
The Belgian has described his brand of football as "a dominant one, with and without the ball". He also wants his team to be intense pressers but have "real mastery in possession".
International coaches are not afforded the same amount of time on the training pitch as club managers, so patience could be required if the plan is to move to a more possession-based style.
Pocognoli's prior experience of working as a youth coach at international level with Belgium would have ticked another box for the SFA. He also coached in the academies of USG and Genk.
During his playing career, he featured at almost every youth level for his nation before winning 13 caps for a Belgium side that featured a long list of world-class talents for well over a decade.
Scotland have had their own mini golden generation, with captain Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Scott McTominay and others all continuing to play at Europe's top level.
Clarke was emphatic in his exit interview with the SFA, saying the core he developed over his seven-year spell is "not finished yet".
Many of Scotland's World Cup squad, which was one of the oldest at the tournament, will go again for a Euros they are co-hosting in two years, but Pocognoli will be tasked with hitting the refresh button.
Much has been made of a potential crisis within youth development in Scottish football, which raises concerns about the future of the national team.
For now, Ben Gannon-Doak, 20, has become a Scotland regular over the past couple of years, while Findlay Curtis, 19, made two late cameos at the World Cup.
Tyler Fletcher was taken to the United States but did not feature. It remains to be seen whether his status will rise under Pocognoli, or if fellow teenage midfielder Lennon Miller will be brought back into the fold.
Kieron Bowie, 23, also missed the World Cup cut, but the striker will be playing in Serie A next season, like Miller.
Fans will expect to see striker Robbie Ure after a free-scoring spell with Sirius in Sweden resulted in a move to La Liga side Sevilla earlier this month.
The 22-year-old has fuelled the Tartan Army with hope that he can provide cutting edge at the top end of the pitch, something they have craved for some time. %!s()
History for Hunt and Asher-Smith in golden finish for GB
Figure caption,
Hunts wins fourth gold as Great Britain storm to mixed 4x100m relay victory
ByHarry Poole
BBC Sport journalist
Amy Hunt and Dina Asher-Smith made history and Georgia Hunter Bell claimed a commanding 1500m gold in a spectacular finish for Great Britain at the European Championships.
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Sprint sensation Hunt held up four fingers to the camera after holding off Germany's challenge on the home straight of the mixed 4x100m relay as another sell-out crowd roared the 24-year-old on to an unprecedented fourth gold in Birmingham.
The world silver medallist completed victory for the quartet in a European record 39.97 seconds to add to her triumphs in the 100m, 200m and women's 4x100m in the past seven days.
"Oh my gosh, I am over the moon. I think to finish it off with some of my best friends in the sport is incredible," Hunt told BBC Sport.
With her eighth gold and 11th medal overall, Asher-Smith is unparalleled as the most successful athlete in the competition's 92-year history, with a team also featuring Jeremiah Azu and Zharnel Hughes extending the hosts' domination of the sprint events.
Hunter Bell expertly controlled the women's 1500m final before bursting clear to continue her golden year by adding to world indoor and Commonwealth glory.
That represented the 32-year-old's seventh international medal in two years as she continues to build momentum on her fairytale return to the sport which she quit for five years following a promising junior career.
It was GB's ninth gold medal overall - but they were pipped to top spot in the medal table by Italy, who edged them to the competition's final gold in the men's 4x400m relay by just 0.03 seconds.
With silver in that event, Matthew Hudson-Smith, who was joined by Toby Harries, Ben Jefferies and Charlie Dobson, surpassed French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre as the most decorated man in championship history with his ninth medal overall.
The home nation brought the curtain down on the first European Athletics Championships to be hosted in Great Britain with five medals in 76 minutes, taking their overall medal tally to 19.
Long jumper Jazmin Sawyers continued her stunning return to form post-injury by producing a career-best series of results, but finished one centimetre shy of Italy's gold medallist Larissa Iapichino with a best leap of 6.99 metres.
There was also silver for the women's 4x400m relay team, consisting of Yemi Mary John, Lina Nielsen, Nicole Yeargin and Emily Newnham, who finished 0.58 seconds behind a Dutch quartet anchored by 800m bronze medallist Femke Broeders-Bol.
Figure caption,
Dramatic last laps as GB take silver in men's and women's 4x400m relays
The 'GOAT' and an 'icon' combine again for GB
Less than 24 hours after combining with their respective men's and women's quartets to win 4x100m golds, Azu, Asher-Smith, Hughes and Hunt - in that order - made it six golds out of a possible seven across the sprint events.
Hunt described team-mate Asher-Smith as "the real life GOAT" [greatest of all time] after the 30-year-old won a record-equalling seventh gold on Saturday night, a decade on from capturing her first.
Despite feeling "absolutely terrified" during the event's inaugural mixed 4x100m relay, Asher-Smith, world 200m champion in 2019, leaves Birmingham a 22-time international medallist in her senior career.
Based on her performances this week, Hunt is only just getting started with her growing medal collection.
The Cambridge University graduate boldly stated her intention to take all four sprint titles this week in her bid to be "iconic".
The weight of expectation has increased with each success, but she has risen to the moment in front of her home crowd on each occasion and few expected her to falter once she took the baton and began her battle with Germany's Gina Luckenkemper.
Cheering his team-mate on after handing over to Hunt, Hughes surpassed Hudson-Smith, Mo Farah and Roger Black as the most successful British man with his sixth gold at the championships.
Hunter Bell one gold from 2026 quadruple
Having topped a global podium for the first time at the world indoors in March, and secured her first international title outdoors at the Commonwealth Games a fortnight ago, Hunter Bell made it three from three in her own bid for a quadruple.
The 32-year-old, who made her debut for Great Britain in 2024, set out to win golds at all four major championships in 2026, and will attempt to complete her set at the inaugural World Ultimate Championships in September.
This was the latest chapter in her remarkable rise to the top of the sport which she had fallen out of love with amid repeated injuries caused by overtraining during her time on a track scholarship in the United States.
She has gone from strength to strength ever since re-establishing contact with Trevor Painter, coach of Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, in 2022.
It follows a 2025 season during which she displayed her versatility by pipping training partner Hodgkinson to world 800m silver, which suggested a potential bid to replicate Dame Kelly Holmes' Olympic middle-distance double in 2028 is a real possibility.
After Kenya's world champion Lilian Odira failed to get close to Hunter Bell at the Commonwealth Games, Hunter Bell finished more than one second clear of Poland's Klaudia Kazimierska in 4:07.78 as her running renaissance continued.
'I believed I could get back here' - Sawyers
Two weeks after completing a remarkable recovery from serious injury to win the Commonwealth title in Glasgow, long-jumper Sawyers was delighted to return to the European podium despite going agonisingly close to gold.
Sawyers, who returned to action last year, suffered a devastating Achilles rupture on her take-off leg which ended her Olympic hopes.
Sawyers celebrated her first senior international title with European Indoor gold in 2023, leaping seven metres for the first time.
Having seemingly returned as strong as ever, the 32-year-old produced the biggest outdoor leap of her career and said she was too happy to be annoyed at being so close to winning.
"There were minuscule moments where I doubted it [if she could come back]," Sawyers said.
"The only reason I was able to get through it was because I believed I could get back here. I was getting back to better than I had ever been."
Figure caption,
'The jump of her life!' - GB's Sawyers takes long jump silver
A print of the famous Abbey Road Beatles record cover is pictured at the same pedestrian crossing on Abbey Road, in north London, on August 7, 2009. Fans of the Fab Four are flocking to the most famous crosswalk in Britain for the 40th anniversary on Saturday of the taking of one of the greatest images in rock 'n' roll history. It was outside the Abbey Road recording studios at 11.35 am on August 8, 1969, that the Beatles strutted purposefully from one side of the street to another, for the cover of what would be their final album as a group. AFP PHOTO/Carl de Souza (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)
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AFP via Getty Images
The famous Beatles Abbey Road album crosswalk photo featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr is being recreated for director Sam Mendes’ biopics about the Fab Four, shows drone video taken above the set.
The album cover was originally shot on Aug. 8, 1969, outside near the famed London studio. The album featured such Beatles classics as “Come Together,” “Something,” “Here Comes the Sun” and “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End.”
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Mendes is directing four separate biopics about the members of The Beatles, each of which tells the story of the legendary group from the point of view of Lennon (Harris Dickinson), McCartney (Paul Mescal), Harrison (Joseph Quinn) and Starr (Barry Keoghan). While each of the biopics remain untitled, collectively they are being referred to as The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.
Video of the recreation of the Abbey Road walk was captured by a drone and posted on the Beatles Biopic Updates X account on Sunday. Although the footage was taken far above the set, it is close enough to clearly see each of the actors dressed as The Beatles in their Abbey Road album cover wardrobe walking across the famous stretch of road in London.
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All Four Beatles Biopics Will Be Released In 2028
Sony Pictures Entertainment announced the production of Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopics in October 2025, noting that each of the films would be released in April 2028. The announcement of the biopics on The Beatles official website, however, initially indicated that the films would be released globally in 2027.
“The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles – Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison – have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film,” the announcement on The Beatles’ site reads.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 31: (L-R) Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman, Sam Mendes, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, Barry Keoghan and Harris Dickinson promote the upcoming films "The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event" at the Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage)
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Mendes – who won a Best Director Oscar for 1999 Best Picture Oscar winner American Beauty and has since directed such blockbuster hits as Skyfall and 1917 – said in a statement on The Beatles’ site, “I’m honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.”
The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event also stars James Norton as Brian Epstein, Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey.
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