Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football

Football icon Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to his illustrious 23-year career with the Portugal national team.

The 41-year-old superstar took to social media to announce his retirement from international football, reflecting on his extraordinary journey since making his international debut in August 2003, the sacrifices he made and the millions of supporters who stood behind him throughout his career.

Ronaldo retires as Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer, having netted 146 goals in 234 appearances for his country and established himself as one of the most influential figures in the history of the national team.

The former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United forward played a pivotal role in Portugal’s historic triumph at the 2016 European Championship, guiding the country to its first-ever continental title.

Besides, he helped Portugal secure the UEFA Nations League trophy on two occasions, in 2019 and 2025, further cementing his legacy in Portuguese football.

Having brought his international career to a close, Ronaldo will now turn his attention to club football as he continues his pursuit of the remarkable 1,000-goal milestone.

The Al-Nassr forward has scored 985 goals for club and country, leaving him just 15 goals away from achieving the historic feat.

A statement from Ronaldo reads:

“To the Portuguese people, The day has come to hand back the shirt and the captain’s armband of the national team that belongs to all of us. I never felt that it was exclusively mine, but for 23 years, I had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and carrying it with me to stadiums all around the world.

Today, the moment has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the head alone. They are also made with the heart.

I am bringing to an end a journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever. When I look back and think about everything I experienced with the national team, I don’t just see matches, goals, records, or trophies. I see people.

I see immigrants who, for 90 minutes, felt a little closer to Portugal. I see millions of Portuguese people whom I never met personally, but who became part of my life. Because, at the end of the day, football is much bigger than a game. Football is about people.

Throughout my entire career with the national team, I always tried to push beyond my limits. I wanted to win, I wanted to be the best, I wanted to make history. I was always demanding of myself. I always wanted more. I always believed we could go further, and I gave everything I had for this shirt.

There were perfect afternoons and nights. There were victories I will never forget. There were defeats that still hurt to remember today. I also failed. I also suffered. There were moments when I couldn’t give the Portuguese people what they wanted so badly.

But I never gave up. And above all, I never stopped feeling proud to represent Portugal.

Over these years, I learned some very simple things: goals come and go, trophies end up in museums, records are eventually broken, but there is something that time can never erase. The place I hold in people’s hearts.

If I ever made you happy, if one of my goals ever made you hug someone, forget a worry, or feel proud of our country, then it was all worth it. Because being Portuguese is also about that. We suffer together. We get back up together. We believe again.

Portugal will always need young people who dream, players who never give up, and new generations who believe it is possible to reach places no one has reached before. Because a country that continues to create new heroes is a country that never stops believing in itself.

To my national team teammates, I want to leave a special message. Thank you for every run, every hug, every argument, every moment of silence before stepping onto the pitch, every victory we celebrated together, and every defeat that made us stronger.

I had the privilege of being your captain, but no captain walks alone, and you are all part of my story.

To all the coaches, directors, doctors, physiotherapists, kit managers, staff members, and the many people who worked with me throughout these years, thank you. Many of you never appeared in the photographs, but without you, none of those photographs would have been possible.

To my family, thank you for sharing this dream with me. Thank you for understanding the absences, the sacrifices, and the moments when the national team had to take up a space that also belonged to you. If I made it this far, it was because we always walked hand in hand.

And to the Portuguese people, to every Portuguese person around the world, I want to tell you one last thing.

There is an image that I will always carry with me. A moment when the national anthem begins. I look around me. I see my teammates. I see the stands. I see children, mothers, fathers, and grandparents. I see Portuguese people who travelled from so far away just to be there.

And during those moments, we stop being different. There are no clubs. There are no colors. There are no classes. There are no professions. There are no opinions.

There is only one passion: Portugal.”