Ronaldo retires from Portugal national team after 234 caps and 146 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving the Portuguese national team. He announced it on Thursday in a long video on social media, at the age of 41, after 234 appearances and 146 goals for Portugal.¹² Ronaldo holds the men’s record for international appearances and goals, and his international career began in August 2003.¹ In the message he said that “the time has come to hand back the number 7 shirt” and that he will return it after the November international break. He added that it was not an easy decision, because some choices are made “with the heart too”.¹

What happened with the head coach?

The farewell comes after a rift with head coach Jorge Jesus.¹³² According to the Guardian, Ronaldo’s last match with Portugal was on 24 September, a 1-0 win over Wales in the Nations League, the European tournament for national teams. Jesus kept him on the bench in the next game and said he had no plans to start him in the one after that. Ronaldo then left the squad’s training camp.¹ The Frankfurter Allgemeine adds that he left at night on a private plane to Madrid. A few days later he explained his reasons and made accusations against Jesus. He then apologised and the federation gave him a light sanction. The Guardian also writes that he had been suspended from the national team.¹² Jesus said Ronaldo would be welcome and that a return depended only on him. After the announcement he said he had asked him to carry on and called him a world reference point, explaining that he had had a large photo of him hung in the team’s auditorium. The president of the federation, Pedro Proença, tried to mediate until the end.¹²

What career is he leaving behind?

Ronaldo’s international career includes six World Cups and the 2016 European title. With Portugal he also won two editions of the Nations League, in 2019 and 2025.¹⁴² The Portuguese federation expressed “deep gratitude and immense admiration” and announced its intention to organise a tribute in which fans and the country can applaud him once more. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said his legacy goes beyond records, trophies and goals.¹ Ronaldo will keep playing for clubs. His current team is Al-Nassr, who wrote to him in their farewell message that there is still history to be written together.¹

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Cristiano Ronaldo calls time on Portugal career after 234 caps and 146 goals, Latest news, sport and opinion from the Guardian, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

2. Portugals Trainer: „Ich habe Ronaldo gebeten, an meiner Seite weiterzumachen“, Frankfurter Allgemeine, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Why has Cristiano Ronaldo retired from international football?, Al Jazeera, 2026-11-05 ↩

4. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo announces retirement from international soccer, The Japan Times, 2026-11-06 ↩