Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his intention to retire from international football, bringing an end to one of the most remarkable careers in the history of the game. The Portugal captain confirmed his decision through a social media post on Thursday, revealing that he would ‘hand back the number 7 shirt’ following the November international break.The 41-year-old leaves behind an extraordinary legacy in Portuguese football, having established himself as the most prolific goalscorer and the most-capped player in men’s international football.Ronaldo has represented Portugal in 234 matches, scoring an incredible 146 goals since making his international debut against Kazakhstan on August 20, 2003. His first international goal came against Greece during UEFA Euro 2004, a tournament that marked the beginning of his journey towards becoming one of football’s greatest-ever players.Cristiano Ronaldo shared a heartfelt message with his fans in his retirement video. “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team,” the 41-year-old Ronaldo said in a long 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.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career: Goals, appearances and records
Ronaldo’s numbers for Portugal underline his extraordinary consistency and longevity at the international level. With 146 goals in 234 appearances, he remains comfortably ahead of every other player on the men’s international goalscoring charts.He has also registered 10 international hat-tricks, alongside two occasions when he scored four goals in a single match.Of his 146 international goals, 124 have come in competitive fixtures, including FIFA World Cup matches, European Championships, UEFA Nations League games and qualifiers. The remaining 22 goals have been scored in international friendlies.His international career began in August 2003, and he went on to become Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer and appearance-maker.
Six World Cups, European Championship glory and Nations League titles
At the FIFA World Cup, he became the first player to score in six different editions of the tournament, achieving the milestone across the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions. He has scored 11 goals in World Cup history.At the European Championship, Ronaldo holds the all-time goalscoring record with 14 goals across six tournaments. His most memorable international achievement came in 2016, when he captained Portugal to their first-ever European Championship title. He also played a significant role in Portugal’s UEFA Nations League triumphs in 2019 and 2025.