Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football after glittering Portugal career that spanned 23 years

05.11.2026, 13:22 skysports.com

Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football.

The 41-year-old Portugal legend has brought an end to his glittering 23-year career for his country after a record-breaking 146 goals in 234 caps .

Ronaldo took to social media to confirm the decision on Thursday morning, with the caption "Portugal will always be in me."

He won Euro 2016 with his country, as well as two Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025. Portugal exited the most recent World Cup in the round of 16, beaten by eventual champions, Spain.

The Al Nassr forward said after the tournament would be his last, later adding he would not make any rash decisions.

However, his retirement comes after a fall-out with head coach Jorge Jesus in the previous international break.

He said: "Today I finish my walk on the pitch with the national team. I leave with my head held high, with pride in the path I took, and with the awareness that I gave everything I had for Portugal.

"The goals pass, the cups are in museums, the records end up being beaten. But there is something that time can never erase, the place we occupy in people's hearts.

"I spent my life working to be the best player in the world. Today I realise that the greatest victory was to have deserved to represent the best country in the world."

Ronaldo thanked his team-mates, coaches, family and supporters around the world, adding: "Thank you for these 23 years. Thank you for having believed in me. Portugal will always be in me. Forever."

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Ronaldo publicly admitted in the last international break that he considered ending his Portugal career following the World Cup.

Portugal exited the World Cup in a 1-0 loss to eventual champions Spain in the last 16.

A statement on Instagram revealed that Ronaldo had written his retirement statement only to be talked out of it by the president of the Portuguese Football Federation Pedro Proença on the plane back from North America.

Jesus took over from Roberto Martinez after the World Cup. His first games were Nations League fixtures in the September-October international break. His started Ronaldo in the first - a 1-0 win against Wales.

However, the then-Portugal captain was benched during a 2-1 win against Norway and did not come on.

Ronaldo left the national team camp on the eve of facing Denmark on October 1, sparking rumours that he was about to announce his international retirement.

Jesus denied there was a rift between the two despite reports - but a statement posted by Ronaldo on Instagram said the new manager had 'broken his promises'.

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Ronaldo claimed that Jesus told him he would play 30 minutes against Norway on the day of the game only to go back on his word.

"Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn't called on," Ronaldo said. "The coach had broken his word to me."

Ronaldo and Jesus, who used to work together at Al Nassr, subsequently held a meeting after the Norway game, which was also attended by the sporting director of the Saudi Pro League club, Simao Coutinho.

According to Ronaldo's statement, Jesus agreed to clarify the situation and say that his captain never demanded minutes and that it was a mistake to let him warm up without bringing him on.

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Ronaldo says an eight-point document was drawn up to summarise what had been discussed in a subsequent meeting between Jesus, Al Nassr sporting director Coutinho and Tiago Craveiro, the player's strategic adviser.

However, Ronaldo felt the Portugal head coach's subsequent press conference bore no reflection to the conversation they had shared, which he claims ended in Jesus asking him for a hug.

He added: "It was the second time he had broken his word to me. I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises."

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Jesus denied that any such agreement had been made with the player in a later press conference.

Despite this, Ronaldo admitted he never should have left the Portugal camp "despite the absolute breach of trust" from Jesus.

Ronaldo apologised to his team-mates and the Portuguese people over his departure from the squad and said he will accept whatever punishment is handed down to him by the Portuguese Football Federation.

That turned out to be a 30-day ban and a £215 fine.

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