On Thursday, in a lengthy video message, the football great announced that he was retiring from international football. The No. The reason: Cristiano Ronaldo will no longer play for Portugal. It brought an end to a career that spanned six World Cups and included a European Championship title, as well as the men’s all-time international scoring record.
7 jersey in Portugal’s colours will never feel the same again. His announcement marked the end of a celebrated career that began more than two decades ago, ahead of Euro 2004, and concluded with him walking away from the national team following a fallout with coach Jorge Jesus.
Here are some records Ronaldo set during his storied career
“Today I realise that my greatest victory was earning the honour of representing the best country in the world. He and successive generations of talented teammates transformed Portugal into a regular contender at major tournaments. “I wanted to win. I wanted to be better. I wanted to make history. “I always demanded the most of myself. I always wanted more. I always believed we could go further. And I gave everything I had for this shirt. During his international career, Portugal qualified for every edition of the tournament. The same was true of the European Championship. After his arrival, the team qualified for every edition. “There were perfect afternoons and nights. There were victories I will never forget. “I made mistakes. I suffered. There were also moments when I couldn’t give the Portuguese people what they so desperately wanted. But I never gave up. I never stopped feeling proud to represent Portugal. Ronaldo became the first men’s player to score in six World Cups. Ronaldo’s farewell video featured him reading out his retirement announcement, interspersed with clips of his performances for Portugal and footage of fans supporting the national team. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for allowing me to live a dream that began when I was just a little boy in Madeira, running after a football. The No. The pride of having worn it will be mine forever. With AP inputs
He is in pursuit of his 1,000th career goal and currently sits on 985. Of those, a record 146 goals came in 234 appearances for Portugal. Ronaldo’s final appearance for Portugal came on September 24 in a 1-0 home victory over Wales in the Nations League While long-time rival Lionel Messi ended his international career with Argentina last month following a much-anticipated farewell match. International Records (Portugal) # Most International Goals (Men’s): 146 goals for Portugal # Most International Appearances (Men’s): 234 caps # FIFA World Cup Feat: First player to score in six different FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026) # UEFA European Championship Goals: All-time top scorer in the Euros with 14 goals # International Hat-Tricks: 10 hat-tricks for Portugal # International Retirement: Announced his retirement from international football in November 2026 after a 23-year career with the national team UEFA Champions League and Club Records # Most Champions League Goals: 140 goals # Most Champions League Appearances: 183 appearances # Most Goals in a Single Champions League Season: 17 goals (2013-14 with Real Madrid) Before Ronaldo made his Portugal debut as a substitute for Luis Figo in a 2003 friendly against Kazakhstan, Portugal had never won a major international trophy. Portugal won its first major title at Euro 2016 and later lifted the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025. Portugal had qualified for the World Cup only three times before Ronaldo’s arrival, in 1966, 1986 and 2002. Portugal had appeared only three times before Ronaldo’s debut, in 1984, 1996 and 2000. Portugal finished runners-up in Ronaldo’s European Championship debut in 2004 on home soil. At the World Cup, Portugal finished fourth in Ronaldo’s debut tournament in 2006. The team was considered a title contender in most editions thereafter, with its best subsequent result being a quarter-final appearance in 2022. Portugal’s best World Cup finish remains third place in 1966, inspired by the legendary Eusébio, in what was the team’s only World Cup appearance before 1986. He reached 11 World Cup goals this year, surpassing the previous Portugal record of nine held by Eusébio. He scored for Portugal in 23 consecutive calendar years, from 2004 to 2026. Ronaldo also became the first player to reach 200 men’s international appearances, and his 234 appearances remain the all-time record in men’s international football. He also holds the records for the most UEFA European Championship appearances (30) and goals (14). His first international goal came at Euro 2004, where host nation Portugal finished runner-up to Greece. “Thank you for these 23 years. 7 shirt will remain.
“Throughout my entire career with the national team, I always pushed myself beyond my limits,” Ronaldo said. There were defeats that still hurt to remember,” Ronaldo said. “I spent my life working to become the best player in the world,” Ronaldo said at the end.
“Today, the time has come to pass it on to the future. “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. They are also made with the heart. Ronaldo will continue playing at club level and is expected to finish his career at the end of the season with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Because some decisions are not made with the mind alone, it was not an easy decision. 7 shirt of our national team,” the 41-year-old Ronaldo said in a video message on social media. “I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world. A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end.
