Cristiano Ronaldo retires from Portugal after 234 caps and 146 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from the Portugal national team on Thursday 5 November 2026. The 41-year-old read a farewell letter in a video of almost five minutes on Instagram, 23 years after his first cap. He leaves with 146 goals in 234 matches, both men's international records.

The Cristiano Ronaldo retirement ends an international career that began in 2003. It also settles a question that had followed him since the summer: whether he would play on to the 2030 World Cup, which Portugal co-host with Spain and Morocco. He will not. He would have been 45.

The Cristiano Ronaldo retirement letter

The letter opens: "To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number 7 shirt of our national team" (translated from Portuguese). He thanks his team-mates, coaches, kit managers, doctors and his family, and the fans who came from far away to see the team play.

Three lines stand out:

• "Thank you for these 23 years. Thank you for believing in me."
• "If a goal of mine ever made you hug someone, […] then it was all worth it."
• "The number 7 shirt will remain. […] Portugal will always be in me."

CNN Portugal published the full letter in Portuguese. The letter ends with "Até sempre", a goodbye for good, and his name.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal career in numbers

• Caps: 234, the most by any man for a national team.
• Goals: 146, the men's international record.
• Debut: August 2003, against Kazakhstan, aged 18.
• Major tournaments: 12, six World Cups and six European Championships.
• World Cups: 11 goals in 27 matches, both Portugal records. In 2026 he became the first man to score at six World Cups.
• Trophies: Euro 2016, Portugal's first major title, and the Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
• Last match: a 1-0 win over Wales in Lisbon on 24 September 2026.

The moments fans will remember

• Euro 2004 in Portugal: his first international goal, against Greece, at a home tournament that ended in a 1-0 final defeat to the same team.
• Euro 2016 at the Stade de France: he captained the side and went off injured in the first half of the final against France. Portugal won 1-0 after extra time, with Éder scoring.
• The 2018 World Cup: a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Spain in Sochi, finished with a free-kick.
• The Nations League: two titles, the first in 2019 at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.
• 2026 in North America: a goal at his sixth World Cup, before a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the round of 16.

The video also shows young children at home in the number 7 shirt.

Why he is leaving now

The Cristiano Ronaldo retirement follows a dispute with the new head coach, Jorge Jesus. ESPN reported that Ronaldo was an unused substitute in the 2-1 Nations League win in Norway. He then left the squad before the Denmark game. The Portuguese Football Federation suspended him for 30 days and fined him; he accepted the sanction and apologised to his team-mates.

He had written a retirement letter after the 2026 World Cup. The federation's president, Pedro Proença, talked him out of it on the flight home from North America. The federation has said it will hold a tribute to him.

Ronaldo continues at club level with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

What it means for 2030

After the Cristiano Ronaldo retirement, Portugal go into their first home World Cup without him, with games planned in Lisbon and Porto. Players such as Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, João Neves and Rafael Leão now take the team into it. Elsewhere, the next generation is already scoring for other nations, such as the young players to watch at AFCON 2027.

If you are planning to see Portugal, start with the Estádio da Luz and the Estádio José Alvalade, where an 18-year-old Ronaldo played the match that took him to Manchester United in 2003. Before you buy, read how World Cup 2030 tickets work.

Head coach Jorge Jesus names his squad for the Denmark and Wales games this week.