Cristiano Ronaldo Retires from International Football with World Records
Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football on Thursday, ending a Portugal career that began in 2003. The 41-year-old leaves as men's all-time leading international scorer with 146 goals in 234 appearances.
Newsnibs Staff
- 2026-11-05
- Updated 5:21 PM UTC
Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portugal forward, announced his retirement from international football on Thursday, ending a national-team career that began in 2003. He leaves as the men's all-time leading international scorer and most-capped player, with 146 goals in 234 appearances. He announced it in a video message on his social media accounts.
"To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team," he said. He added that "Portugal will always be a part of me" and that the decision "was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made alone." He has said the shirt will go back after the November international break.
The circumstances in September are reported differently. Some accounts describe a falling out with the new coach, Jorge Jesus, over playing time, with Ronaldo left on the bench and later suspended from the squad. Others say only that he was benched. Ronaldo did not name Jesus or any dispute in the comments attributed to him. His last appearance was a 1-0 win over Wales in September, and he has chosen to retire rather than rejoin the squad later this month. He had also faced criticism of his form.
Ronaldo made his debut in August 2003 as a substitute against Kazakhstan, when Portugal had played in only three World Cups and three European Championships. He became captain in 2008 and passed Ali Daei's record of 109 international goals on the way to his total of 146. Portugal qualified for every World Cup and European Championship during his career. This summer he became the first player to score at six World Cups, and Portugal had reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 tournament.
The trophies came late in his time with the team. Portugal won Euro 2016 with Ronaldo, who played through a severe knee injury in the final. He also won the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019 and the 2025 edition.
Ronaldo is not leaving the game. He will keep playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, with his sights on a 1,000th career goal. His total stands at 985. His club career includes five Ballon d'Ors, five Champions League titles, and spells at Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. At Real Madrid he became the club's all-time top scorer with 451 goals.
The Portuguese football federation expressed "deep gratitude" and announced plans for a tribute, calling him the "greatest of all time". The next generation is already in place. Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo cite him as a role model, Rafael Leão wore the No. 7 in his absence, and his son, Cristiano Jr., is in the Portugal Under-17 squad.
Photo by Alex Simpson on Unsplash
