Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football, ending a Portugal career that lasted 23 years, 234 appearances and a record 146 goals.
Announcement
The 41-year-old announced the decision in a video message on social media on Thursday, 5 November. “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team,” he said.
Ronaldo will hand back the shirt after the November international break. His last appearance for Portugal was on 24 September, a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales.
A record career
No man has scored more international goals, and no man has played more international matches. Ronaldo’s Portugal career began in 2003 and carried the team from contenders to champions: the European Championship in 2016, then Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.
Coach fallout
The farewell arrived with a cloud over it. Ronaldo had fallen out with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, who did not use him against Norway, and he walked out of the national team camp on 30 September. The Portuguese Football Federation fined him €255 and handed him a 30-day suspension that did not cost him any matches.
Ronaldo did not mention the dispute in his announcement. He said he was leaving with his head held high, proud of the path he had taken and knowing he had given everything for Portugal.
What comes next
The federation thanked him for his contribution and said it would not let the farewell pass without due tribute. Portugal face Denmark in Braga on 14 November and travel to Cardiff to face Wales three days later, with the squad for those games to be named ahead of the matches.
Ronaldo is not retiring from football. He will continue with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he is under contract until June 2027, and he is chasing 1,000 career goals — the Associated Press puts his total at 985.
His final World Cup came this year, when Portugal lost to Spain in the round of 16. That was the one major international honour missing from his collection, and his only knockout-stage goal at the tournament was a penalty against Croatia.
