Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football: Portugal captain ends 23-year career with 234 caps and 146 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal's No. 7 shirt during the 2026 World Cup match against Croatia
Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, ending a 23-year Portugal career that produced more goals and more appearances than any man in international history. The 41-year-old confirmed the decision himself on Thursday, 5 November, in a video message posted on his own social media accounts, saying the time had come to hand back Portugal's No. 7 shirt. The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed the announcement in an official statement the same day, thanking its "eternal captain" and promising a fitting tribute.

What Ronaldo said

Ronaldo delivered the news in a video in which he read from a letter addressed to the Portuguese people, captioned "Portugal estará sempre em mim" — Portugal will always be in me. "To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team," he said. "Today the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone. They are also made with the heart. A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end."

He said he would hand back the shirt after the November international break. In practice, his final appearance had already come: a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales on 24 September. Ronaldo retires holding the men's international records for appearances and goals: 234 caps and 146 goals for Portugal.

What the Portuguese federation said

The Portuguese Football Federation responded within hours, confirming that Ronaldo had announced his definitive retirement from the national team. "The Portuguese Football Federation expresses its deepest and most enduring gratitude to its eternal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo," it said, adding that he had "elevated Portugal's name and inspired generations of young people who dream of following in his footsteps, being, for many of us, the best player of all time."

The federation said it refuses to let the farewell pass without due tribute, and that it is its firm wish to organise and take part in a celebration in which fans and the country can applaud the player once more. The statement closed with a message to the departing captain: "Thank you for everything, CAPTAIN! This will always be your home. Let's go for goal 1,000."

The numbers behind 23 years

Ronaldo debuted as a substitute against Kazakhstan in August 2003, aged 18, and went on to play at six World Cups — the only player to score at six editions. At the 2026 World Cup he scored three goals as Portugal reached the knockout stage before losing to eventual champions Spain in the round of 16.

The trophies tell the rest of the story. He captained Portugal to their first major title at Euro 2016, and added two Nations League titles, in 2019 and again in 2025. His 146 international goals are the most in the men's game, and his 234 appearances are also a record. No other player has combined that longevity with that output for one national team.

What it means for Portugal's next matches

Portugal's next fixtures arrive quickly, and they will be the first of the post-Ronaldo era. Portugal host Denmark in Braga on 14 November in the Nations League, then face Wales three days later, on 17 November. The squad for those games is due to be named on Friday, and it will be the first Portugal squad in more than two decades without the name that has defined the team. The No. 7 shirt — his for most of his international career — now passes to the next generation, exactly as he put it in his farewell message.

For the national team, the change is about more than a shirt number. Ronaldo has been captain, record scorer, most-capped player and attacking reference point through six World Cups and six European Championships. Whoever leads the line in Braga will do so in a side reshaped around his absence for the first time since 2003.

What happens next — and what is not yet known

Two things are confirmed. First, the retirement is from international football only: Ronaldo is not retiring from the game. He will continue his club career with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he is under contract until June 2027 and sits on 985 career goals — 15 short of 1,000, the milestone the federation itself pointed to. Second, the federation will organise a tribute, but no date, venue or opponent has been fixed yet.

The confirmed facts are the announcement, the records — 234 caps, 146 goals — and the federation's promise of a tribute. ScorePulse will update this story when the Portuguese Football Federation gives details of the farewell, and when Portugal name their first squad without their captain.

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