Cristiano Ronaldo announces retirement from Portugal after 23-year international career
Cristiano Ronaldo announced on November 5, 2026, in an emotional video on social media that he is retiring from Portugal’s national team, bringing to an end a 23-year international career that concluded amid a public dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus.
The 41-year-old Al Nassr forward said he would hand the Portugal No. 7 shirt to the next generation and described the decision as difficult to make. In his farewell message Ronaldo reflected on sacrifices, disappointments and triumphs and thanked supporters, family and team-mates. "Today my journey on the pitch with the national team comes to an end. I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I walked and with the awareness that I gave everything I had for Portugal," Ronaldo said. "The number 7 shirt stays, the pride of having worn it will be mine forever. Portugal will always be in me. Until always, Cristiano Ronaldo." He made his international debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003.
The end of Ronaldo’s Portugal career followed tensions with head coach Jorge Jesus that surfaced publicly after Ronaldo was unused in a 2-1 Nations League win over Norway on September 27. Ronaldo said he had initially been told he would be rested for the away games in Norway and Denmark as part of a fitness plan, then told he would get "around 30 minutes" against Norway before warming up at half-time and not being sent on.
Ronaldo said he was upset not only by his omission but by a disagreement over how the situation would be explained to the media, saying the coach’s press comments did not match what they had discussed. Jesus insisted that team selection was his decision and downplayed suggestions of a major falling-out between the pair.
After speaking to Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca, Ronaldo left the training camp in Copenhagen ahead of the match against Denmark, a move that drew criticism given his captaincy. He later apologised to his team-mates and supporters, admitted leaving the camp had been a mistake and asked the federation not to make an exception for him because of who he was.
The federation imposed a 30-day suspension and fined him 255 euros; the punishment was backdated so he remained available for Portugal’s subsequent fixtures. Ronaldo had indicated he wanted to continue playing for Portugal after serving the suspension and had considered retiring after the 2026 World Cup, but said Proenca had persuaded him to reconsider; his announcement now ends those plans. He has not stated that the dispute with Jesus was the reason for his retirement, though it became part of the public conversation around his final months with the national team.
Ronaldo’s international career included early and later near-misses and landmark triumphs: he was part of the Portugal side that reached the Euro 2004 final at age 19 and scored in that tournament, and he was involved in Portugal’s run to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2012. As captain at Euro 2016 he was forced off with a knee injury in the first half of the final, remained on the touchline to support his team, and Portugal secured the title when Eder scored the extra-time winner.
He won the inaugural Nations League in 2019, scoring a hat-trick against Switzerland in the semi-final before Portugal beat the Netherlands in the final, and six years later was part of the Portugal team that won the competition again, scoring against Spain prior to the title being decided on penalties. He also became the first player to score at six different editions of the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Ronaldo leaves international football with 234 appearances and 146 goals, both records in men’s international football, and with a European Championship and two Nations League titles to his name; his overall career goal tally stood at 979 according to the latest available figures. Portugal will now have to move on without the player who led the team for much of the last two decades, and someone else will wear the No. 7 shirt.
