Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football at 41, ending a 23-year Portugal career that finished with a walkout and a disciplinary sanction.
He announced the decision on Thursday 5 November in a video on social media. Sky Sports reported that the caption read “Portugal will always be in me.”
In the video, he told the Portuguese people it was time to “hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team”, the Associated Press reported.
The numbers he leaves behind
Ronaldo finishes with 146 goals in 234 appearances. The BBC noted that no one has scored more for a national side or worn a Portugal shirt more often.
He was the first man to reach 200 caps. According to the AP, he also holds the European Championship records for appearances, with 30, and goals, with 14. His career spanned six World Cups.
He made his debut in August 2003. At 19, he played in the Euro 2004 final in Lisbon, which Portugal lost 1-0 to Greece, and the BBC recalled the teenager in tears at the final whistle.
The trophies followed. Portugal won Euro 2016 in France, the country’s first European title. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the 2019 Nations League semi-final, and Portugal went on to win the first edition of that competition. He lifted a second in 2025.
How it ended
The exit was not the farewell many supporters wanted. Ronaldo was an unused substitute in a 2-1 Nations League win at Norway, and he said Jesus had told him beforehand he would play about half an hour, according to Fox Sports.
Days later Jesus said Ronaldo would not start against Denmark, and Ronaldo left the camp in Copenhagen the day before that game. He accused the coach of breaking his word. Jesus denied making any agreement, Al Jazeera reported.
Ronaldo apologised to team-mates and said he would accept any punishment. On Monday 19 October the federation’s disciplinary council suspended him for 30 days and fined him 255 euros.
That suspension had been served by the time he announced his retirement. Ronaldo did not apologise to Jesus, ESPN reported.
Jesus told Portuguese broadcaster Canal 11: “I asked him to stay on with me.” He said he now had to accept the decision. The BBC reported that the coach had earlier said the door was open and the choice was Ronaldo’s.
Reaction and what comes next
The Portuguese Football Federation thanked him with “deep gratitude and immense admiration”. The Week reported that the statement called him “the greatest player of all time” for many people. It said it would organise a tribute where fans could applaud him once more.
Federation president Pedro Proença wrote on Instagram that Ronaldo would always be more than a player. He said the federation’s doors would stay open to him, according to Goal. Manchester United and Juventus were among his former clubs to send congratulations, Sky Sports reported.
There may be no farewell match. Sportskeeda cited a report from Lisbon outlet Observador saying Ronaldo does not want one. Neither he nor the federation has confirmed that, and no date has been set for the tribute.
Club football continues. Ronaldo is under contract at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia until June 2027, and World Soccer Talk reported that he has not said whether he will extend, move on or retire when it expires.
Sources: ESPN, Associated Press via NBC Miami, Sky Sports, Al Jazeera, Fox Sports, The Week, Goal, Sportskeeda, World Soccer Talk, BBC Sport
This story was compiled by the MDW Newsdesk with AI-assisted tools, using the reporting credited above.
