Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, bringing down the curtain on a 23-year career with Portugal that made him the most capped men’s international in history and the highest scorer the men’s game has ever seen. The 41-year-old confirmed the decision in a video posted on social media on Thursday, telling supporters the day had come to “hand back the No. 7 shirt” of the national team.
“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team,” Ronaldo said. “I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world.”
The numbers behind the farewell are unlikely ever to be matched. Ronaldo made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored 146 goals, both men’s international records. He made his debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003, aged 18, and went on to captain his country to its first major trophy at the European Championship in 2016, followed by Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025. He became the first player to score at six World Cups, finishing with 11 goals at the tournament — yet the World Cup itself stayed beyond his reach, his final attempt ending in a 1-0 last-16 defeat by Spain, the eventual champions, at this year’s finals.
The ending, however, has been clouded by a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus over his place in the team. Ronaldo left the Portugal camp at the end of September without permission ahead of a Nations League fixture, and the Portuguese Football Federation suspended him for 30 days and fined him €255. He apologised and said he remained available for selection, but the relationship never recovered, and his final cap came on 24 September, in a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales.
The federation thanked its “eternal captain” for his service and said he should receive the “tribute he deserves”, with plans for a fitting farewell still to be fixed. Its president, Pedro Proença, described Ronaldo as “more than a player… hero, leader. Our captain”. The contrast with his great rival is striking: Lionel Messi announced his own retirement from Argentina in July, after losing the World Cup final to Spain, to a hero’s send-off in Buenos Aires.
Ronaldo is not retiring from football altogether. He continues to play for Saudi club Al-Nassr, where he has been since 2023, and in August he told Vogue that this was “probably” his last year in the game. Portugal, meanwhile, must move on without the player who carried their expectations for more than two decades. Jesus names his squad on Friday for the Nations League fixtures against Denmark and Wales — the first Portugal squad in 23 years without Cristiano Ronaldo in it.
Sources: Reuters — “Ronaldo exits Portugal stage with records intact and farewell clouded by rift” (https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/ronaldo-exits-portugal-stage-with-records-intact-farewell-clouded-by-rift-2026-11-05/); NBC Sports — “Cristiano Ronaldo announces international retirement from Portugal” (https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/cristiano-ronaldo-announces-international-retirement-from-portugal); USA Today — “Is Cristiano Ronaldo retiring from soccer? What to know about Portugal retirement” (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2026/11/05/is-cristiano-ronaldo-retiring-from-soccer-explaining-portugal-retirement/92624580007/).
