ADاشتہار / AdvertisementGoogle Ad
Ronaldo retires from international football after 234 gamesSports
Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, ending a 23-year Portugal career in which he scored a record 146 goals in a record 234 appearances.
Share:
The 41-year-old revealed the decision on Thursday in a long video message on social media, in which he read a letter to his supporters. “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team,” he said.
Ronaldo made his Portugal debut in August 2003 and went on to play 234 times for his country, scoring 146 goals. Both figures are records in the men’s international game, and he also holds the record for the most international victories, with 141.
ADاشتہار / AdvertisementGoogle Ad
His honours with Portugal include the European Championship in 2016 and the Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025. He played in a record six European Championships and a joint-record six World Cups, and he is the only player to have scored at least ten goals at both the World Cup and the European Championship.
The announcement comes after a difficult final chapter with the national team. Ronaldo clashed with new head coach Jorge Jesus during the last international break, walking out of the training camp after being left on the bench, and was suspended for 30 days and fined 255 euros by the Portuguese Football Federation.
His final appearance for Portugal came on 24 September, in a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales. With Portugal due to face Denmark and Wales in the Nations League later this month, there will be no farewell appearance for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
In a statement, the Portuguese Football Federation paid tribute to its “eternal captain” and promised to organise an event in his honour. “Today the time has come to pass it on to the future,” Ronaldo said in his message. “I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I have taken and knowing I gave everything I had for Portugal.”
Ronaldo is not retiring from football altogether. He continues to play his club football for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he is closing in on 1,000 career goals and currently stands on 985. He is expected to finish his club career at the end of this season.
His announcement follows the recent international retirement of his long-time rival Lionel Messi, who finished his career with Argentina after a farewell match last month, closing the international chapter of the sport’s most famous rivalry within weeks of each other.
For Portugal, the question now is who fills the void left by a player who carried the national team for more than two decades. The number seven shirt will remain, but the player who made it his own has played his last game in it.
Ronaldo’s international career began before many of his current team-mates were born, and it ends with records that may stand for generations. Whatever comes next for Portugal, the era that began in August 2003 has now formally come to an end.
Related Coverage
