Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing to hang up his cleats ... revealing this will probably be his final year of soccer after a quarter-century on the pitch.

The bombshell came almost as an aside during a joint Vogue interview with his new wife, Georgina Rodríguez. When the newlyweds were asked whether marriage would change anything, Ronaldo announced ... "This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy."

The 41-year-old superstar says he already has his post-soccer future mapped out ... acknowledging the game could leave a major hole in his life, but saying he plans to fill his time with family, travel, padel and simply enjoying everything he and Georgina have earned.

As Ronaldo put it ... "After all it's been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice."

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner currently plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr and recently competed in his sixth and final World Cup for Portugal.

Ronaldo and Georgina tied the knot Tuesday in an intimate ceremony inside their Portugal home, surrounded by their five children. There was no honeymoon -- Ronaldo had to head right back to Riyadh for the new season.

One last run ... and CR7 wants to make it count.