Cristiano Ronaldo Retires From Portugal National Team

Ronaldo says goodbye to Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo is done with the Portuguese national team. The 41-year-old announced his international retirement on Thursday, closing a career that took in six World Cups, a European title and the men's all-time record for international goals.

He shared the news in a long video message on social media, telling the Portuguese people that the time had come to hand back the No. 7 shirt. He said he never felt it belonged to him alone, but that for 23 years he had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it. The journey, he added, started in August 2003 and changed his life.

The exit isn't the farewell many fans pictured. It follows a falling out with coach Jorge Jesus, and it comes after Ronaldo walked out of the team's training camp.

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The No. 7 shirt will remain. The pride of having worn it will be mine forever.

Business Standard synthesis

How the break with the coach unfolded

Ronaldo's last match for Portugal was a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League on September 24. Jesus then left him on the bench for the next game and said he didn't plan to start him in the one after that.

Ronaldo chose to leave the camp. Jesus later said the door was open and that coming back was up to the player. Instead, Ronaldo has now ended it. It's a very different ending from Lionel Messi's, who finished his Argentina career last month with a widely anticipated farewell match.

Ronaldo will carry on at club level and is expected to finish that part of his career at the end of this season with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. He is chasing a 1,000th career goal and currently sits on 985.

What Portugal looked like before him

When Ronaldo made his debut in a 2003 friendly against Kazakhstan, coming on for Luis Figo, Portugal had never won a major trophy. He and the talented groups that followed turned the country into a regular at big tournaments.

Before his time, Portugal had reached the World Cup only three times, in 1966, 1986 and 2002. During his career they qualified every single time. The pattern was the same at the European Championship, which Portugal had played just three times before he arrived, in 1984, 1996 and 2000.

The trophies followed too. Portugal won its first major title at Euro 2016, and added the Nations League in 2019 and again in 2025. His Euro debut in 2004, held at home, ended with Portugal as runner-up. At the World Cup, the team reached fourth place in his first tournament in 2006, and its best result after that was a quarterfinal in 2022.

The numbers behind a record career

The statistics are hard to match. Ronaldo was the first man to score at six World Cups, and he reached 11 World Cup goals at this year's tournament, passing the Portugal record of nine held by Eusebio. He scored for Portugal in 23 straight calendar years, from 2004 to 2026.

He was also the first player to reach 200 men's international appearances, and his 234 caps remain the most ever. His record 146 goals for Portugal came in those games. At the European Championship he holds the marks for most appearances with 30 and most goals with 14, and his first international goal came at the start of Euro 2004.

Tributes and a final word

The Portuguese soccer federation released a statement of deep gratitude and immense admiration. It said he raised Portugal's profile, inspired generations of young people and, for many, is the greatest player of all time. It also plans a tribute where fans and the country can applaud him one more time.

Ronaldo's own message looked back on perfect afternoons and nights, victories he won't forget and defeats that still hurt. He admitted mistakes and suffering, and moments when he couldn't give the Portuguese people what they wanted so badly. He said he never gave up or stopped feeling proud to represent his country.

He ended by saying his greatest victory was earning the honor of representing Portugal, and he thanked everyone for 23 years, to a dream that began when he was a little boy in Madeira running after a football. The shirt will remain, he said, and so will the pride.