Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football.

Ronaldo is the leading scorer and appearance-maker in the history of men's internationals, plundering 146 goals in 234 games since his Portugal debut in 2003.

He captained Portugal to their first-ever major trophy at Euro 2016, with Eder scoring the winning goal against hosts France in the final after he had gone off injured, while also lifting the Nations League trophy on two occasions, in 2019 and 2025.

Ronaldo considered retiring from Selecao duty after their round-of-16 exit at this year's World Cup, only to be talked into staying on by the FPF (Portuguese Football Federation).

However, Ronaldo then abruptly left their camp during the last international break, accusing new head coach Jorge Jesus of breaching his trust after he was left on the bench throughout a Nations League win over Norway.

Ronaldo, who also accused Jesus of failing to read a series of pre-agreed points regarding that decision to leave him on the bench, was subsequently given a 30-day suspension by the FPF on October 19.

With the Selecao facing Denmark and Wales in the Nations League on November 14 and 17, that would appear to mean there will be no farewell appearance for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who posted an emotional video statement on Instagram on Thursday.

Ronaldo said: "The time has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano)

"I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years, I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world. Today, the time has come for me to pass it on to the future. 

"It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone, they are also made with the heart. A journey that started in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end.

"I made mistakes, I suffered, there were times where I could not give the Portuguese people what they so desperately wanted. But I never gave up, and above all, I never stopped feeling proud to represent Portugal. 

"If I ever made you happy, if one of my goals made you embrace someone or feel proud of our country, then it was all worth it. 

"I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I have taken and knowing I gave everything I had for Portugal. I will never stop being one of you.

"I spent my life working to become the best player in the world. Today, I learn that my greatest achievement was earning the honour of representing the best country in the world."

10 - Cristiano Ronaldo is the only to have scored at least 10 goals at both the FIFA World Cup (11) and UEFA European Championship finals (14). Perfect. https://t.co/HPOUYCOfEv

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 5, 2026

Ronaldo retires as the only player to have scored at least 10 goals at both the World Cup (11) and the European Championships (14), with the latter figure being a competition record.

He became the first player to score at six different editions of the World Cup this year, when he helped himself to a brace in a group-stage win over Uzbekistan, while he is also the oldest player to feature in a World Cup knockout-stage match, at the age of 41.

However, none of Ronaldo's World Cup goals came in the knockout stages, and he was also memorably dropped by Fernando Santos during the 2022 edition, which was won by his great rival Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Ronaldo's international retirement comes less than a month after Messi made his final appearance for the Albiceleste, bowing out during a 3-0 win over Benin.