LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from the Portuguese national team on Thursday, ending an international career spanning more than 23 years in which he set men's world records for appearances and goals.
The 41-year-old confirmed his decision in an emotional video posted to social media, saying the time had come to "hand back the number 7 shirt" and leave it to the next generation.
"It was not an easy decision, because there are decisions that are not made only with your head. They are also made with your heart," Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo leaves international football with 234 senior appearances and 146 goals for Portugal, both men's world records. His career began against Kazakhstan in August 2003 and included six European Championships and six World Cups. He is the only player to score at six different World Cups.
He captained Portugal to its first major international trophy at Euro 2016 and added UEFA Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.
In his farewell, Ronaldo said the numbers were not what he would remember most.
"When I look back and think about everything I experienced with the national team, I don't just see games, goals, records or trophies. I see people," he said. "I see emigrants who, for 90 minutes, felt Portugal a little closer. I see millions of Portuguese people whom I never met personally, but who were part of my life."
The announcement ends weeks of uncertainty over whether Ronaldo would return to the national team following a public dispute with new Portugal coach Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo left Portugal's training camp in Copenhagen on Sept. 30 after being left on the bench for the previous match against Norway, despite saying he had been told he would play about 30 minutes. He later accused Jesus of twice breaking his word while accepting responsibility for leaving the camp.
The Portuguese Football Federation's Disciplinary Council handed him a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine, with the ban backdated so he would have been available for Portugal's November matches. Ronaldo had been included on Jesus's preliminary list in late October for Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales, leaving open the possibility of a return.
Ronaldo made no reference to the controversy in his farewell, offering thanks instead to teammates, coaches, medical staff, kit staff, officials, family and the Portuguese people. He acknowledged the disappointments as well as the triumphs.
"There were perfect afternoons and nights, there were victories I will never forget, there were defeats that are still difficult for me to remember," he said. "I failed too, I suffered too, and there were moments when I was unable to give the Portuguese people what they wanted so much. But I never gave up."
Ronaldo said his perspective had changed over the course of his career.
"I spent my life working to be the best player in the world," he said. "Today I understand that the greatest victory was earning the right to represent the best country in the world."
He also reflected on the national anthem before matches.
"I see Portuguese people who travelled from so far away just to be there," he said. "And during those minutes, we stop being different. There are no clubs, there are no colours, there are no classes, there are no professions, there are no opinions. There is only one passion: Portugal."
Ronaldo, a native of Madeira, said he would continue to support the national team.
"The shirt may be handed on, but the pride of having worn it will be mine forever," he said. "Portugal will always be in me."
