Bad newsRonaldo Quits Portugal Five Weeks After Walking Out of Camp Over Benching
Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from Portugal after 234 caps and 146 goals, but the exit follows a walkout, a 30-day suspension and a public row with coach Jorge Jesus, with no farewell match yet scheduled.
Read the good side of this story
Ronaldo Retires From Portugal Holding Records of 234 Caps and 146 Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career ended with a walkout, not a whistle. On 30 September he left Portugal’s camp in Copenhagen after the coach, Jorge Jesus, confirmed he would not start against Denmark, Al Jazeera reports. Five weeks later, on 5 November, the 41-year-old announced his retirement from the national team. He holds the records for caps (234) and goals (146), and Portugal now has no farewell match booked for him.
How the row unfolded
Ronaldo’s last appearance was a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales on 24 September, when he captained the side and was substituted in the 67th minute. Jesus left him on the bench for the 2-1 win in Norway three days later. It was the first time since November 2024 that Ronaldo had not played for Portugal while fit and available, according to Al Jazeera. He then left the training camp before the Denmark game.
Ronaldo accused Jesus of twice breaking his word. He said the coach had agreed a plan for him to miss the Norway and Denmark matches to manage his fitness. On the day of the Norway game, he said, Jesus told him he would play for 30 minutes. He warmed up from half-time and was not used. Jesus gave a different account and said the decision was his to make, while adding that Ronaldo would be welcome back. The federation suspended Ronaldo for 30 days and fined him 255 euros, Al Jazeera says.
The record he leaves
None of that erases the scale of the career. Sky Sports reports that he won Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles, and played in six World Cups and six European Championships. Al Jazeera adds that he scored for Portugal in 23 consecutive calendar years and holds the national World Cup record of 11 goals in 27 games.
| Record | Figure |
|---|---|
| International appearances | 234 (all-time record) |
| International goals | 146 (all-time record) |
| World Cup goals for Portugal | 11 in 27 games |
| Major tournaments | 12 (six World Cups, six Euros) |
| Calendar years scoring for Portugal | 23 in a row, 2004 to 2026 |
| Titles with Portugal | Euro 2016, Nations League 2019 and 2025 |
Source: Al Jazeera and Sky Sports, 5 November 2026.
Portugal had reached only three World Cups and three European Championships before he arrived, and has qualified for every edition of both since, Al Jazeera notes. That makes the exit harder to ignore. The player who changed the national team’s fortunes left its camp during a competitive fixture block, and the two sides then argued in public statements. The ending is less tidy than the record. Portugal went out of this summer’s World Cup in the round of 16, beaten by eventual champions Spain, Sky reports. Ronaldo scored his last World Cup goal from the penalty spot against Croatia in the round of 32. Sky reports that he said the tournament would be his last, and later added that he would make no rash decisions.
Two accounts of one fortnight
Both men have told their stories in public, and they do not match. Ronaldo said the coach broke a promise to explain his omission to the public, and that a later agreement left him without an apology. Jesus said the Norway game was not part of the plan he had drawn up for Ronaldo, according to Al Jazeera, though he conceded the player was left waiting. Jesus also coached Ronaldo at Al Nassr, so the two know each other well, and the dispute is not between strangers.
Neither account has been tested by anyone outside the squad, and neither report says what the federation concluded about who was right. The sanction, a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros, treated the walkout as a disciplinary matter. It did not decide the argument about the plan.
What the farewell leaves out
His retirement message thanks his family, the Portuguese people and his teammates, coaches and staff. Al Jazeera notes that he gave no reason for the decision. Ronaldo said only that the decision was not an easy one because it was made with the heart as well as the head. The coach had earlier said that Ronaldo should decide how he wanted to end his time with the national team.
The federation has praised him as the greatest player of all time and says it will organise a tribute, according to AP and Reuters reporting carried by Al Jazeera. It has given no date. That contrasts with Lionel Messi, whose international career ended last month with a farewell match for Argentina, AP notes.
Several questions are open. Neither report says when the tribute will take place, whether Ronaldo will attend a match before then, or whether the federation will name a new captain before the Denmark game. The federation’s statement is warm, but it is a statement, not a schedule.
Portugal must now play on. Al Jazeera reports that they top their Nations League group and host Denmark in Braga on 14 November, then visit Wales. Neither report says who will captain the side or wear the number 7 he has handed back. Ronaldo continues at club level with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where AP says he has scored 985 career goals and is chasing 1,000. His next league match is on 20 November against Al Qadsiah.
