One of the greatest players in international football, Cristiano Ronaldo, has officially announced his retirement from the Portugal national team via an emotional video message on 5 November 2026. After a long and historic 23-year journey, he has handed over his iconic 'number 7' jersey to the next generation. However, his departure has been unexpected and somewhat controversial.
In October 2026, Ronaldo left the national team camp after a disagreement with Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus. Following the coach's decision to bench him, Ronaldo made the difficult decision to retire from international football. His final match for Portugal was against Wales on 24 September 2026, in a 1–0 victory.
Ronaldo's international career is a treasure trove of some of the most impressive statistics in world football. He holds the all-time world record for most international appearances in men's football history with 234 and most international goals scored with 146.
He also made two major history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At the age of 41 years and 132 days, he became the oldest outfield player to start a match in World Cup history, coming on against Democratic Republic of Congo. He also became the first male player in the world to score in six different World Cup editions when he scored against Uzbekistan. Under his captaincy, Portugal won Euro 2016, and the 2019 and 2025 UEFA Nations League titles.
Even after leaving the Portuguese team, Ronaldo will continue to play for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr. He is currently in great form. In the current 2026-27 season, he has scored 8 goals in 9 matches, including a spectacular hat-trick against Al-Kholood on 29 October 2026.
Now Ronaldo's ultimate goal in life is to reach 1,000 official goals in professional football. He has now reached 985 goals (450 for Real Madrid, 145 for Manchester United, 101 for Juventus, 138 for Al-Nassr, 146 for Portugal and 5 for Sporting). He is just 15 goals away from that magical number.
While Lionel Messi played his farewell match for Argentina last month, Ronaldo's departure may have been unexpected, but the records he has set over the past 23 years will be written in golden letters in the history of football. The King may have retired from the Portugal jersey, but the influence of 'CR7' will remain in the hearts of fans for centuries.
