Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo has said he is retiring from international football.
“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team,” said Ronaldo in a video posted via his official X handle on Thursday.
“I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world.
“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 added.
Forty-one-year-old Ronaldo, who currently plays club football at Al Nassr, scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for his country since his debut in 2003.
Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Europe zone group F football match between Portugal and Hungary at Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on October 14, 2025.
His goal and cap tallies are both world records.
The forward’s announced his retirement weeks after he walked out of the Portugal camp last month, following news that he would not be in the starting line-up in the Nations League match against Denmark.
In October, he fell out with national coach Jorge Jesus after he refused to play him in a Nations League match.
Ronaldo immediately left the team camp and was handed a 30-day suspension.
Although it was rumoured that he intended to return to the international fold, on Thursday the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or released the video on his X account in which he said he was ending his international football career.
Throughout his international career, Ronaldo won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 in France, although he had to leave the field during the final due to an injury.
At the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, he scored three goals, but Portugal were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Spain, who went on to lift the trophy.
His great rival and Argentina legend Lionel Messi retired from international football on an emotional night in front of an 85,000-strong crowd in Buenos Aires in October.
Why did Ronaldo fall out with Portugal coach?
Ronaldo started every match in his sixth World Cup this summer, when Portugal lost to eventual champions Spain in the last 16.
His peformances in the tournament drew criticism in the media, with many observers questioning if he remained a force at international level.
He fell out with new coach Jorge Jesus after being named as a substitute against Norway.
Ronaldo was reportedly angry at being made to warm up in the second half but not brought on – the first time he was an unused substitute for Portugal in a competitive game since 2008.
When Jesus said in a news conference that Ronaldo would not start against Denmark, Ronaldo left the camp and issued a lengthy statement in which he said he would not be retiring and that Jesus had twice “broke his word”.
Jesus said the door remained open for a return, while the PFF fined Ronaldo and suspended him for 30 days – a period that did not include any Portugal games.
Ronaldo did not directly reference the falling out in his farewell video, but did acknowledge that he had made mistakes.
“There were perfect afternoons and nights. There were victories I will never forget. There were defeats that still hurt to remember. I made mistakes, I suffered,” said Ronaldo.
“There were also moments when I couldn’t give the Portuguese people what they so desperately wanted. But I never gave up. And above all I never stopped feeling proud to represent Portugal.
“I spent my life working to become the best player in the world. Today, I realise my greatest victory was earning the honour of representing the best country in the world.”
