Jake is a Football and Entertainment betting expert, with a Man City season ticket and a deep knowledge of reality TV betting angles
- Bookmakers have been offering retirement odds for 2024 with 6/1 given that Cristiano Ronaldo will retire this year
- Odds also given for Lionel Messi to retire from football in 2024
- Both players may hold out for one final World Cup in 2026
Bookmakers have been offering retirement odds for 2024 with 6/1 given that Cristiano Ronaldo will retire this year
Further betting specials are being offered around potential outcomes in 2024 with bookmakers now giving odds around to of the biggest footballers in the world retiring from the sport.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently playing in the Saudi Pro League and the latest betting odds now make him 6/1 to retire from football in 2024.
Ronaldo will turn 39 next month and is showing no signs of slowing down with the Portuguese forward scoring 54 goals across the year to make him the global top scorer in 2023.
The odds offered by William Hill at the start of the year suggest a 14% chance that Ronaldo will choose to retire from football this year but it seems unlikely that he will.
| 2024 Retirement | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo to retire from football | 6/1 | 14.3% |
| Lionel Messi to retire from football | 7/1 | 12.5% |
What the expert says...
Odds also given for Lionel Messi to retire from football in 2024
Other retirement odds focus on Cristiano Ronaldo's longtime rival Lionel Messi to also retire in 2024 with bookmakers saying it's less likely that Messi hangs up his boots.
Messi moved to Inter Miami last summer to join the MLS and it looks likely that he moved to America with his sight set firmly on the 2026 World Cup that will take place across North America.
The latest betting odds say there's an implied probability of 12.5% that Messi retire's this year but similar to Ronaldo it seems unlikely that we'll see that happen.
Both players may hold out for one final World Cup in 2026
The 2026 World Cup could well be the final step for both Ronaldo and Messi in their careers with the latest reports suggesting that the pair could face off in North America.
Ronaldo is expected to sign an extension to his contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr that will see him continue until 2027 and Messi's currently ends in 2025.
It's likely that a contract extension will be already on the table for the Argentine though with his success in the MLS already clear to see.
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