Cristiano Ronaldo has announced the end of his celebrated international career with Portugal.
The 41-year-old leaves the national team as the world-record holder for international goals, having scored 146 times in 234 appearances. He also helped Portugal win the 2016 European Championship and two Nations League titles.
His decision comes only weeks after a dramatic dispute with new manager Jorge Jesus. The row culminated in Ronaldo leaving Portugal’s squad during the September and October international break.
Ronaldo had appeared likely to return for this month’s fixtures against Denmark and Wales. Instead, after 23 years in the national team, he has chosen to step away.
In a statement announcing his retirement, Ronaldo acknowledged that he had sometimes fallen short, while making clear how difficult the decision had been. He said he was proud of everything he had achieved and ready to pass on Portugal’s famous number seven shirt.
The Al-Nassr forward hopes his son, 16-year-old Cristiano Junior, can eventually carry that legacy. The teenager was called up to Portugal’s Under-17 squad this week.
Ronaldo made his Portugal debut in 2003, aged 18. He went on to play at six World Cups, matching Lionel Messi’s record, and appeared at six European Championships, two Nations League finals and a Confederations Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo has brought his remarkable international career with Portugal to an end
The defining achievement of Ronaldo’s Portugal career was winning Euro 2016, despite being injured in the final
Ronaldo never reached a World Cup final and was left in tears after Portugal’s last-16 defeat by Spain in the summer
Ironically, Ronaldo’s most enduring moment in a Portugal shirt may have come while he was unable to play. After suffering an injury in the Euro 2016 final, he became a commanding presence on the touchline, issuing instructions to his team-mates with such intensity that he appeared to take on some of manager Fernando Santos’s responsibilities.
The World Cup remained the major prize to escape him. Portugal’s best finishes during his career were a semi-final appearance in Germany in 2006 and a quarter-final place in Qatar in 2022.
His final appearance at football’s biggest tournament ended in disappointment, when Portugal lost 1-0 to arch-rivals Spain at this summer’s World Cup. Ronaldo left the field in tears after the painful defeat.
His last minutes for Portugal came against Wales in September. He played 67 minutes of the 1-0 Nations League victory.
Ronaldo was then left on the bench for the following match against Norway. After clashing with Jesus, he departed Portugal’s training camp in his private jet.
Announcing his retirement, Ronaldo wrote: ‘To the people of Portugal, the day has come to return the number 7 jersey of our national team. I never felt it was exclusively mine. But for 23 years, I had the privilege and the responsibility to wear it, to defend it, and to take it with me to stadiums all over the world.
‘Today has come the moment to hand it over to the future. It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made just with the head, they are also made with the heart.
‘I was always demanding of myself. I always wanted more, I always believed we could go further. And I gave everything I had for this jersey. There were perfect afternoons and nights, there were victories I will never forget.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner admitted he had sometimes failed, but said he remained proud of his record
Ronaldo’s latest Portugal spell ended bitterly after he left camp when he was omitted from the starting side against Norway
Jorge Jesus said Ronaldo would be welcome back, as did the Portugal players
‘There were defeats that even today I find hard to remember. I also failed, I also suffered, there were also moments when I was not able to give the Portuguese people what they so desired. But I never gave up. And above all, I never stopped feeling proud to represent Portugal.
‘Throughout these years, I learned very simple things. Goals pass, trophies stay in museums, records end up being broken. But there is something that time can never erase: the place we occupy in people’s hearts.
‘If I ever made you happy, if ever a goal of mine made you hug someone, forget a problem, or simply feel proud of our country, then it was all worth it. Because being Portuguese is also that. We suffer together, we get up together.
‘If I got this far, it was because we were always hand in hand. And to the Portuguese, to all Portuguese people scattered around the world, I want to tell you one last thing. There is an image I will always carry with me: the moment the national anthem begins. I look around, I see my teammates, I see the stands, I see children, mothers, fathers, and grandfathers, I see Portuguese people who came from so far just to be there.
‘And during those minutes, we stop being different. There are no clubs, there are no colors, there are no classes, there are no professions, there are no opinions. There is only one passion: Portugal.’
The circumstances of Ronaldo’s departure are certain to prompt debate, with his international career appearing to have ended on strained terms.
He was furious after being left on the bench in Portugal’s Nations League victory over Norway on September 27, despite warming up on the touchline. It was the first time in his 18-year international career that he had remained an unused substitute.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Josh Jacobs Vows to “Roll With the Punches” Amid Battery Accusations
The incident was followed by three missed training sessions, before Ronaldo left camp ahead of Portugal’s final two matches of the international break and flew to Spain in his private jet.
Ronaldo scored 146 goals in 234 international appearances, more than any other player in history
He did not watch Portugal’s next game against Norway, instead travelling away with his family aboard his aircraft.
The former Manchester United forward was particularly unhappy with the way Jesus addressed the decision during his post-match press conference.
Ronaldo claimed that Jesus had broken an agreement to apologise to the Portuguese public and his team-mates for not introducing him.
He said he had been promised 30 minutes against Norway after the Portuguese Football Federation persuaded him to continue playing following the World Cup.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner even offered to retire if that was what Jesus and the head of the Portuguese FA wanted. Both, however, reaffirmed that they wanted him to remain with the team.
Most damagingly, Ronaldo issued a 1,996-word statement accusing Jesus of breaking promises. He said the manager had agreed to provide an eight-point apology accepting responsibility for leaving him on the bench after an alleged agreement that he would play.
Jesus acknowledged that asking Ronaldo to warm up had been a mistake, but disputed the rest of his account. He said: ‘The match in Norway was not part of the plan I drew up for him. However, I felt that he had managed to recover physically from the first match and I warned him that I might have to use him. Cristiano agreed.’
Ronaldo was eventually fined £215 by the Portuguese FA and given a technical one-month ban. Because the suspension was backdated, he remained available for the team’s upcoming fixtures.
It was a chaotic episode, echoing the circumstances of Ronaldo’s second departure from Manchester United in 2022. The lingering question is whether he would have continued with Portugal had the dispute with Jesus never taken place.