Cristiano Ronaldo retires from International Football. Here's what he had to say. - 2ST
One of football's defining figures drew a line under his international career. Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portugal captain, announced his retirement from the national team after 23 years, 234 appearances, and a record 146 goals.
The news, delivered in a carefully produced video posted to his social channels with the simple caption "Portugal estará sempre em mim" ("Portugal will always be in me"), sent the topic shooting to the top of discussion worldwide. Ronaldo read a prepared statement that mixed pride, thankfulness and the quiet acknowledgement that some decisions are made with the heart as much as the head.
"To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team," he said. "I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it.
He spoke of a journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever," thanked family, teammates, coaches and the public who had celebrated his goals, and closed by noting that if any of those moments had brought people joy or pride in their country, "it was all worth it. He had been taken to a match in Norway but left on the bench; when he learned he would not start the subsequent game against Denmark, he left the training base.
The Portuguese federation responded with a 30-day suspension and a modest fine. Although there had been speculation he might return for the November Nations League fixtures, the video made clear the international chapter was closed.
His final appearance came on 24 September 2026, a 1-0 win over Wales in Lisbon, where he was substituted around the hour mark. The statistical ledger is unmatched in men's international football.
Ronaldo finishes with 234 caps (the most ever) and 146 goals, both records. He scored in six different World Cup editions (2006 through 2026), the first player to do so, and holds the all-time European Championship scoring record with 14 goals across six tournaments.
In competitive matches alone, he delivered more than 120 of those goals. He captained Portugal to their first major trophy at Euro 2016 (they beat France in the final) and added UEFA Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.
Ten hat-tricks, goals against 49 different opponents, and a scoring rate of roughly 0.62 goals per game complete the picture. Second on the all-time goals list is Lionel Messi, who recently closed his Argentina chapter with 126 goals in 208 caps; Ronaldo's edge is decisive."