The key facts

  • Ronaldo announced the end of his career with the Portugal national team at the age of 41
  • Records: 234 matches and 146 goals for the national team
  • The departure was preceded by a conflict with coach Jorge Jesus and a 30-day suspension

The announcement in a video address

Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday, November 5, that he was ending his career with the Portugal national team. The 41-year-old forward posted a video on his Instagram account: 'Portuguese people, the day has come when I return the number seven shirt to our national team,' he said, adding that he had 'had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it for 23 years' (Deutsche Welle). According to AFP, his national team career began in August 2003 and, in the player's words, 'changed his life forever.'

Records and trophies

For the national team, Ronaldo played 234 matches and scored 146 goals — records among men for international appearances and goals. He led Portugal to the country's first major trophy in its history — victory at Euro 2016 — as well as to Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025. At the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, he scored three goals, but Portugal was eliminated in the round of 16. In the Euro 2016 final, according to AFP, he left the pitch due to injury.

Conflict with the coach and suspension

His departure from the national team was preceded by a conflict with the team's head coach Jorge Jesus. The coach left Ronaldo on the bench in a Nations League match and said he would not include him in the starting lineup in the next game. In response, Ronaldo left the national team's training camp, after which the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) suspended him for 30 days and fined him. His last match for the national team will likely remain Portugal's 1:0 victory over Wales on September 24 — depending on the format of the farewell ceremony. Unlike Lionel Messi, who said goodbye to Argentina in an anticipated farewell match a month earlier, Ronaldo ended his career against the backdrop of this conflict.

The federation's reaction and the player's plans

The FPF issued a statement expressing gratitude and respect for the player: 'Cristiano Ronaldo has raised Portugal's prestige and inspired generations of young people; for many of us, he is the best player of all time.' The federation intends to organize a tribute where fans and the country can once again applaud the player. Like Messi, Ronaldo intends to continue his club career — with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.