The great Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football

Football

Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he will no longer play for Portugal, ending a career that spanned six World Cups and included the European champions and the men’s all-time international goalscoring record.

The veteran striker left the national team after arguing with the head coach in September

Listen to this article

About 1 minute

The audio version of this article was created with artificial intelligence technology. Mispronunciations may occur. We work with our partners to constantly review and improve results.

A male soccer player in a red jersey claps his hands.
Cristiano Ronaldo, pictured in this October 2025 file photo, announced in a video message on social media Thursday that he will no longer play for Portugal. (Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he will no longer play for Portugal, ending a career that spanned six World Cups and included the European champions and the men’s all-time international goalscoring record.

It was a sad end to an illustrious career that began more than two decades before Euro 2004 and ended with his departure from the national team after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus.

41-year-old Ronaldo said in a long video message on the social network, “The day has come when I will return the jersey number 7 of our national team to the people of Portugal.”

“I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and responsibility to wear it, defend it and carry it with me in stadiums around the world.”

Corrections and clarifications·

Leave a Comment