Cristiano Ronaldo has finally called time on his international career. The Portugal legend, now 41, announced on Thursday, November 5, 2026, that he is stepping away from the national team, ending a run in the red and green shirt that stretched across 23 years.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who plays his club football for Saudi side Al Nassr, broke the news in a video shared on his official X account, according to Channels TV.
Ronaldo's farewell, in his own words
Speaking directly to Portuguese supporters in the video, Ronaldo said: "To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team."
He continued: "I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world."
The forward admitted the choice did not come easily: "Today the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone— they are also made with the heart."
He closed with a nod to where it all started: "A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end."
Numbers nobody has matched
Ronaldo walks away with 146 goals from 234 appearances for Portugal since his 2003 debut. Both figures stand as world records in men's international football, according to Channels TV, meaning no player has scored more for a country or turned out more times.
A messy few weeks before the goodbye
The announcement did not come out of a clear sky. Last month, Ronaldo reportedly clashed with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus after learning he would not start a Nations League game against Denmark. According to Channels TV, the forward left the team camp straight away and was slammed with a 30-day suspension.
There had been talk that he planned to return to the national set-up once the dust settled, but Thursday's video put those rumours to rest. Neither Ronaldo nor Jesus addressed the October row in the material reported so far.
The nights that defined him in a Portugal shirt
Channels TV picked out five standout games from his Portugal journey. The first was a World Cup play-off against Sweden. After Ronaldo's goal secured a 1-0 first-leg win, Portugal travelled to Stockholm, where he opened the scoring before Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck twice to level the tie. The then Real Madrid man responded by finishing off a hat-trick inside two minutes, sending Portugal to the World Cup in Brazil.
