Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football at 41
Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he is retiring from international football after 23 years with Portugal. He leaves with 234 appearances and 146 goals, both records for Portugal's men.
- Ronaldo, 41, announced his international retirement on Thursday 5 November in an Instagram video.
- He made 234 appearances and scored 146 goals for Portugal.
- The decision followed tension with coach Jorge Jesus.
- He will keep playing at club level.
Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday, 5 November, that he is retiring from international football, ending a 23-year career with Portugal. He is 41 and plays for Al-Nassr at club level. He made the announcement in a video posted on Instagram.
Ronaldo finished with 234 appearances and 146 goals, the most in Portugal's men's international history, along with 37 assists, according to Gulf News. As captain he helped Portugal win the 2016 European Championship and two Nations League titles, in 2019 and 2025, France 24 reported.
In his message, Ronaldo said: "To the Portuguese people, the day has come to hand back the No. 7 shirt of the national team that belongs to us all. I never felt it was exclusively mine." He added: "But for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and taking it with me to stadiums all over the world. Today the time has come to hand it over to the future."
The decision came after several weeks of tension with head coach Jorge Jesus, following Ronaldo's departure from the Portugal squad in September. ABC News reported that he had been serving a 30-day suspension for walking out on the national team. Ronaldo said he accepted that leaving camp was not the best way to handle the situation, but also said Jesus had broken his word more than once.
Jesus told Channel 11: "I asked him to stay on with me." He said the two had discussed the matter before the first squad announcement. The day after Ronaldo's announcement, Jesus named the squad for Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales.
Gulf News reported that the video passed 455 million views, 32 million likes, 3.2 million comments and 6.2 million reposts in under 24 hours. It said Lionel Messi's retirement post earlier this year had more than 460 million views, 20 million likes, 892,000 comments and 2.6 million reposts. Messi made 208 appearances for Argentina, scoring 126 goals with 67 assists. Gulf News said both players will continue at club level.
Background
khabr.pk reported on 5 November that Ronaldo announced his retirement from the Portugal team in a video message, and that he holds the men's international scoring record of 146 goals in 234 appearances.
Why it matters
Ronaldo is one of the most followed sports figures among fans in Pakistan, so his departure from international football will be noticed by many local followers of the game. Gulf News reported that his announcement drew very large social media numbers. He will continue playing at club level.
