Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international soccer after 23 years
Soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he is leaving international soccer.
No. 7 said he will retire from Portugal after winning six World Cups over a 23-year career with the team.
He said in the social media post: “To the Portuguese people. The day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team.
“I never felt it belonged to me alone. But for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, of defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world. Today, the time has come to pass it on to the future.”
Portugal estará sempre em mim https://t.co/dnFj51rxmh
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 5, 2026
Ronaldo will still be on the pitch, playing at the club level, The Associated Press reported.
He’s still a few goals short of reaching the 1,000-goal milestone. He has 985 right now, with 146 with Portugal over 234 matches.
Ronaldo has already played his final game with Portugal. He last played on Sept. 24, beating Wales 1-0 in the Nations League.
Coach Jorge Jesus left Ronaldo on the bench for the next match and didn’t plan on starting him in the next game, so Ronaldo left the training camp. Jesus said the star’s return rested on Ronaldo, the AP reported.
The Portuguese soccer federation released a statement which read that it had “deep gratitude and immense admiration” for Ronaldo.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has raised Portugal’s profile and inspired generations of young people who dream of following in his footsteps; for many of us, he is the greatest player of all time!” the federation said.
The team will hold a tribute to No. 7 “in which the fans and the country can one more time applaud and celebrate a player who has given us so much,” the AP reported.
Ronaldo by the numbers, as compiled by The Athletic:
- 234 international matches
- 146 goals, 20 more than Lionel Messi
- 14 goals at the European Championship (record)
- 11 World Cup goals
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