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Lisbon, Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he would no longer play for Portugal, ending a career that spanned six World Cups and included a European title and the men’s all-time international scoring record.
The news marked the end of an illustrious career that began more than two decades ago before Euro 2004 and ended with him walking out of the national team after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus.
“For the people of Portugal, the day has come for me to take back the No. 7 shirt of our national team,” Ronaldo, 41, said in a lengthy video message on social media. “I never felt it was my own but for 23 years it was an honor and a responsibility to wear it, protect it and carry it with me to stadiums around the world.
“Today is the time to put it forward into 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.”
While Lionel’s contemporaries were long ago Messi finished his career with Argentina after a much-anticipated farewell match last month, Ronaldo’s final appearance with Portugal came on September 24 in a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales.
Jesus kept him on the bench for the next match and said that he did not intend to start in the next one, so Ronaldo decided to leave the team’s training camp. Jesus later said that Ronaldo would be welcome back and he was responsible for the decision to return.
The Portuguese Football Federation issued a statement expressing “deep gratitude and great appreciation” for Ronaldo’s service to the country.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has raised the profile of Portugal and inspired generations of young people who dream of following in his footsteps; for many of us, he is the best player of all time!” said the federation.
They said they planned to organize a tribute to Ronaldo “where the fans and the country can once again praise and celebrate a player who has given us so much.”
Like Messi, Ronaldo will continue to play at club level, and is expected to end his career at the club at the end of this season by Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
He is chasing his 1,000th career goal and has 985. Of those, a record 146 came in 234 appearances for Portugal.
Ronaldo was the first player in his sport reach billionaire statusjoining the ranks of the richest athletes, Bloomberg reported in October 2025.
