Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football after 23 years with Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, ending a 23-year career with Portugal.

In a video message, Ronaldo said it was time to hand back the number seven shirt he had worn for more than two decades.

“To the Portuguese people, the moment has come for me to return the number seven shirt of our national team,” he said.

“I never felt that this number belonged to me alone. But for 23 years I had the honour and responsibility of wearing it, defending it and taking it with me to stadiums around the world.

“Today, the time has come to pass it on to the next generations. It was not an easy decision. Some decisions are not made by the mind alone; the heart also plays a part.”

The announcement follows a recent dispute between Ronaldo and Portugal manager Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo made his Portugal debut on 20 August 2003, coming on as a substitute for Luis Figo at half-time in a friendly against Kazakhstan. Portugal won the match 1-0.

He went on to win 234 international caps and score 146 goals, making him Portugal’s most-capped player and leading scorer. He also holds the world record for the most international goals in men’s football.

Ronaldo helped Portugal win Euro 2016 in France, where they beat the hosts 1-0 in the final despite the forward being forced off with an injury during the first half.

He also won the Nations League twice with Portugal. The first success came in 2019, when Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1-0. In 2025, they beat Spain on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the final, with Ronaldo scoring Portugal’s second goal.

Dispute with Jorge Jesus

Ronaldo was included in Jorge Jesus’ first squad for four Nations League matches.

He started the opening game against Wales but did not play in the second match against Norway, remaining on the bench throughout.

Jesus said afterwards that the course of the match had prevented Ronaldo from being involved.

The Portuguese Football Federation president then held an urgent meeting with Ronaldo and Jesus, after which the Portugal captain left the team’s training camp.

Rafael Leao wore the number seven shirt in the following match against Denmark. Despite government intervention, the dispute continued.

Portugal won all of its opening four matches in the competition and secured a place in the quarter-finals with two games still to play.