Cristiano Ronaldo ends his Portugal career after 23 years and 146 goals

A farewell through the number 7 shirt

Cristiano Ronaldo announced the end of his international career in a video message to fans published on Thursday. According to the Anadolu agency, the captain of the Portugal national team said it was time to return the number 7 shirt to the national team and 'pass it on to the future.' He ended his farewell with the words 'Portugal will always be within me' and stressed that his memory is tied not only to matches, goals and trophies, but also to teammates, coaches, fans and Portuguese communities around the world: 'Football is people.'

The tally: records no one in men's football had held at the same time

Ronaldo's national team career began in August 2003 and lasted 23 years. During that time he made 234 appearances and scored 146 goals — both figures are records in men's international football. He is also the top scorer in the history of the European Championships (14 goals) and of World Cup qualifiers (41 goals). At the 2026 World Cup, where he scored twice against Uzbekistan and once against Croatia, Ronaldo became the first footballer to score at six different World Cups — he found the net at every final tournament since 2006. In total he has 11 goals in 27 World Cup matches; by number of matches played (27) he trails only Lionel Messi, who has 34.

From Madeira to Real Madrid's records

Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal on Madeira, and at the age of 12 left his family for Lisbon, joining Sporting's academy. He debuted for the first team in August 2002 at 17 — against Inter in Champions League qualifying. The turning point was a friendly against Manchester United in 2003, after which the English club's players convinced Alex Ferguson to sign the 18-year-old Portuguese. Ferguson gave him the number 7 shirt previously worn by George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. With United, Ronaldo won three consecutive Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and his first Ballon d'Or, scoring a total of 145 goals in 346 matches across two spells at the club.

Madrid, Turin, Riyadh

The most productive stage of his club career was nine seasons at Real Madrid: 451 goals in 438 official matches, the status of the club's all-time top scorer, four Champions League titles, two Spanish championships and three Club World Cups. His 17 goals in the 2013/14 Champions League campaign remain the record for a single season of the tournament. In total he has 140 goals and 183 appearances in the Champions League, goals in three different finals and five Ballon d'Or awards. In 2018 he moved to Juventus (101 goals and five trophies in three seasons), in 2021 he returned to Manchester United, and then became the most famous player to move to the Saudi Arabian championship, joining Al-Nassr, which, according to Anadolu, helped attract other renowned footballers to the league.

Triumphs and scandals

His main achievement with the national team remains Euro 2016: Ronaldo scored three goals in the tournament, was prominent in the semifinal against Wales, and in the final left the pitch in the 25th minute due to a knee injury, but stayed by the touchline cheering on his teammates — Eder's winning goal in extra time gave Portugal its first major trophy in history. He later led the team to victories in the Nations League in 2019 and 2025, in the latter case becoming the first player over 40 to score in a tournament final. Off the pitch, his career was accompanied by conflicts: in 2019 in Spain he settled a tax fraud case, agreeing to a fine of 18.8 million euros and a 23-month suspended sentence; a sexual assault allegation in Las Vegas, which he denied, did not lead to criminal charges, and the civil lawsuit was dismissed in 2022. His second spell at Manchester United ended with the termination of his contract after an interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticized the club's leadership and manager Erik ten Hag.

Conflict with Jesus and a suspension before the farewell

His final weeks with the national team were marred by a public conflict with Portugal's new coach, Jorge Jesus. On September 30, Ronaldo left the team's camp in Copenhagen after being left on the bench in the Nations League win over Norway (2:1), accusing Jesus of breaking promises about his playing time. He then apologized to fans and teammates for leaving on his own and said that any disciplinary matter should be decided by the federation. On October 19, the federation suspended him for 30 days and fined him 255 euros; part of the term he had already served under a temporary disciplinary measure. The announcement of his departure from the national team came less than a month after that decision.