Ronaldo Retires from Portugal National Team... Ends 23-Year International Career

Left the team camp without authorization after a dispute with the coach a month ago
Ends international career with 234 appearances and 146 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al Nassr), the biggest star in Portuguese soccer, has announced his retirement from the national team. He is bringing to a close a 23-year international career that began when he was called up to the Portugal squad in August 2003.

Major foreign news outlets, including the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, reported on Thursday that Ronaldo said in a video posted on his social media account, "The day has come to return the No. 7 shirt to the people of Portugal." He added, "For 23 years, wearing and defending this shirt and sharing those moments with you on fields around the world has been a privilege and a responsibility." He continued, "Today is the time to pass that place on to the next generation. It was not an easy decision. Some decisions are made not only with the head, but also with the heart."

Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al Nassr) has announced his retirement from the Portugal national football team. Screenshot from Ronaldo's Instagram video.

Ronaldo joined the Portugal national team at the age of 18 in 2003 and scored 146 goals in 234 international appearances. He holds the records for the most appearances and the most goals for a men's national team.

Ronaldo led Portugal to its first-ever European Championship title at Euro 2016. He also helped the team win the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025. He has played in six World Cups and holds the record as the first player to score at six different World Cups. However, he never lifted the World Cup trophy. Ronaldo said the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, which concluded in July, would be his last, but did not give a definitive answer about retiring from the national team.

Ronaldo's announcement of his retirement from the national team came about a month after a conflict with the team's coach came to light.

On September 30, Ronaldo left the national team's training camp without authorization ahead of a Nations League match. Ronaldo said that coach Jorge Jesus had promised he would play but did not keep that promise. In a lengthy post on social media at the time, Ronaldo apologized to his teammates, saying, "Coach Jesus broke his promise twice," and, "My actions deserve punishment, but I am not retiring from the national team."

Ronaldo during a match against South Korea at the 2022 World Cup. Yonhap News.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) handed Ronaldo a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros (about 380,000 won) on October 20. The disciplinary action was applied retroactively.

On October 27, AFP reported that Ronaldo had been included in the national team's preliminary squad ahead of its November Nations League matches, opening the possibility of his return. However, Ronaldo ultimately chose to retire from the national team.

Ronaldo expressed his gratitude to his teammates, coaches and staff from the national team, as well as the people of Portugal. He said, "If my goals made someone happy, brought someone into an embrace, helped someone forget their worries or made them feel proud of their country, then they were worth it." He stressed, "Portugal will always be a part of me." In an interview with the Associated Press in August, Ronaldo also said this could be his final season as a professional player.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.