Ronaldo Ends 23-Year Portugal Soccer Career

Caption: Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Portugal against Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, July 2, 2026. Credit: Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cristiano Ronaldo is handing back Portugal’s No. 7 shirt after 23 years, six World Cups and a record 146 international goals. The 41-year-old announced his national-team retirement on November 5, closing his Portugal career while continuing to play for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

The farewell followed a dispute over his role under coach Jorge Jesus. Rather than ending with an arranged final appearance, Ronaldo’s last match for Portugal was a September 24 Nations League victory over Wales, according to the Associated Press.

In a video message, he described a decision shaped by emotion as well as calculation: “A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end.”

A disagreement over playing time

AP reported that Jesus kept Ronaldo on the bench for the match after the Wales victory and said he did not intend to start him in the next one. Ronaldo then left the training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and that the decision rested with the player. The retirement announcement instead made that departure permanent.

Portugal’s federation responded with gratitude and said it intended to organize a tribute that would give supporters another opportunity to celebrate him. No date for that event was specified in AP’s report.

A different era for Portugal

Ronaldo made his senior debut by replacing Luís Figo in a 2003 friendly against Kazakhstan. Before then, Portugal had qualified for only three World Cups and three European Championships.

During his international career, the country qualified for every edition of both tournaments. Portugal reached the Euro 2004 final on home soil, where Ronaldo scored his first international goal, and won its first major trophy at Euro 2016.

Nations League titles followed in 2019 and 2025. Ronaldo finished with 234 appearances, the men’s international record, and became the first male player to score in six World Cups.

His 11 World Cup goals surpassed Eusébio’s Portugal record of nine. He also holds the European Championship records for appearances and goals, with 30 and 14 respectively, according to AP.

The national career included disappointments as well as records. Portugal’s best World Cup finish with Ronaldo was fourth in 2006; the country’s best overall result remains third place in 1966.

The next milestone remains in reach

International retirement does not end his pursuit of 1,000 senior career goals. AP counted 985 when he announced his decision, leaving 15 to reach the benchmark through club competition.

His farewell returned to the supporters who followed him from his early years in Madeira. He thanked them for allowing him to live that childhood ambition, ending with the shirt he had worn for more than two decades: “The No. 7 shirt will remain. The pride of having worn it will be mine forever.”

References: Associated Press via ABC News - Ronaldo announces international retirement