Cristiano Ronaldo has brought his international career with Portugal to a close. The 41-year-old ends as the most-capped player and the highest scorer in the history of men’s international football, signing off with 146 goals in 234 appearances. He captained Portugal to three senior titles and featured at six World Cups.
Ronaldo made the announcement on Thursday, November 5, in a five-minute video posted on his social media accounts. The caption read “Portugal estará sempre em mim” (“Portugal will always be in me”), a line he also delivers at the end of the clip.
Reading from printed pages, he said: “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number 7 shirt of our National Team.” He described the decision as difficult and noted that a journey which began in August 2003 “has come to an end”. He continued: “Today, my journey on the pitch with the National Team comes to an end. I leave with my head held high.” Closing the message, he added: “The number 7 shirt will remain. The pride of having worn it will be mine forever. Portugal will always be a part of me.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 234 caps and 146 goals are both world records in men’s international football. His final appearance came in the Nations League opener against Wales in September, where he started.
Ronaldo captained Portugal to the 2016 European Championship and also led the side to Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025. After Portugal’s World Cup exit this summer he noted that he had won three titles for his country.
The 2026 tournament in North America was Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup. Portugal were eliminated in the round of 16, losing 1-0 to Spain in Dallas on July 6. Ronaldo confirmed afterwards that it had been his last World Cup match. He became the first player to score at six different editions of the tournament when he netted against Uzbekistan in the group stage. FIFA records show he played 27 World Cup matches in total, second on the all-time appearance list, and scored 11 goals.
The news follows weeks of uncertainty. Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal’s Nations League camp in Copenhagen on September 30. Notably, he had been an unused substitute in the 2-1 win away to Norway and was then told he would not start against Denmark. In a statement days later he insisted he was not retiring and would be available once any suspension ended.
FPF president Pedro Proenca described the episode as a “misunderstanding” in early October and said he hoped to see Ronaldo return in November, according to Reuters. At the time of writing the federation had not issued a public statement on the retirement.
Cristiano Ronaldo had considered retiring after the FIFA World Cup. Proenca urged him to reconsider on the flight home from the United States. He then continued under new head coach Jorge Jesus, who had previously coached him at Saudi club Al-Nassr.
Portugal have already qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals with four wins from four. They reached that stage without Cristiano Ronaldo in their last two matches. Jorge Jesus’s side host Denmark on November 14 and travel to Wales three days later. These will be their first fixtures since the announcement.
(More to follow)
