Cristiano Ronaldo has called time on his international career with Portugal. Legit.ng reported that the Al Nassr striker confirmed the decision on Thursday in a long video message on YouTube, saying he was handing back the No. 7 shirt he has worn for more than two decades.
The 41-year-old leaves with 146 goals in 234 appearances, which makes him Portugal's top scorer and most capped player. According to GOAL, as cited by Legit.ng, that goal tally is the highest by any male player in history. He debuted in August 2003.
What Ronaldo said about the diaspora
Legit.ng said Ronaldo acknowledged how hard the decision was. Looking back on his time with the squad, he also paid tribute to Portuguese people overseas, saying he saw "Portuguese people living abroad who, for 90 minutes, felt a little closer to home".
Tension with Jorge Jesus
Yahoo Sport, cited by Legit.ng, linked the exit to a turbulent few months. After the World Cup, Ronaldo had signalled he was not ready to leave, partly because he wanted to help Portugal defend their UEFA Nations League title.
That changed after a confrontation with head coach Jorge Jesus over Ronaldo's role, and the forward left camp midway through the window. The Portuguese Football Federation banned him for 30 days. Legit.ng earlier reported a fine of 255 euros (about N381,327) after he left the September camp, following time on the bench against Norway and learning he would not start against Denmark on October 1. He had been welcomed back and was expected in the November fixtures.
Club career continues
Ronaldo will carry on at Saudi side Al Nassr, and his chase for 1,000 career goals is still on. He had earlier described defending the Nations League and reaching 1,000 goals as his two remaining ambitions, and had hinted that a full retirement could come as early as next year.
Neymar reacts
Tributes followed from across football. Brazil's Neymar Jr posted a single word, "Lenda", Portuguese for legend. The two were rivals during Ronaldo's Real Madrid years and Neymar's time at Barcelona. Neymar has himself retired from Brazil duty after the 2026 World Cup as the Seleção's top scorer with 80 goals in 130 games.
Trophies and big nights
Ronaldo captained Portugal to their first European Championship in 2016, then Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025. Daily Post highlighted a hat-trick against Spain at the 2018 World Cup, a treble against Sweden that sent Portugal to the 2014 World Cup, and the Euro 2016 final, where he left injured in tears but cheered on his teammates until Eder's extra-time winner.
