Good newsRonaldo Retires From Portugal Holding Records of 234 Caps and 146 Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo has ended a 23-year international career as the most capped and highest-scoring men's international player, with Euro 2016, two Nations League titles and 146 goals in 234 matches for Portugal.
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Ronaldo Quits Portugal Five Weeks After Walking Out of Camp Over Benching
Cristiano Ronaldo made his Portugal debut at 18 as a half-time substitute for Luis Figo. On Thursday, aged 41, he handed the number 7 shirt back. Sky Sports reports that he announced the end of his international career on social media after 234 caps and 146 goals, both world records for men’s international football.
The numbers are the headline, and they are large even by his standards. Al Jazeera counts 12 major tournaments, six World Cups and six European Championships, across a career that began in August 2003. He scored for Portugal in 23 consecutive calendar years, from 2004 to 2026. No other player has both played and scored in six World Cups.
A country that kept qualifying
The sharper measure is what happened to Portugal around him. Before Ronaldo, the country had reached only three World Cups, in 1966, 1986 and 2002, and three European Championships, in 1984, 1996 and 2000. Since he arrived, Portugal has qualified for every World Cup and every Euros, according to Al Jazeera. He captained the team to its first major title at Euro 2016, then added the Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
| 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.
He also leaves a string of firsts. Al Jazeera lists him as the first player to reach 200 men’s international appearances, against Iceland in a Euro 2024 qualifier. He was also the first to score 100 international goals for a European nation. His last World Cup goal was a penalty against Croatia in the round of 32 this summer. Portugal went out in the round of 16, beaten by eventual champions Spain, Sky reports.
He also became the first player to score 10 international hat-tricks, a mark Lionel Messi has since passed with 11. The shirt has its own story. Ronaldo wore 17 on his debut because Figo had the 7, and he claimed the number full-time only after Figo retired in 2006. Within a few years it had become the centre of his brand, CR7, and a symbol of the team.
Portugal still have business to finish. Al Jazeera reports that they top their Nations League group and host Denmark in Braga on 14 November, then visit Wales in their last group game. Those games will be played without a player who has been a fixture of the national team since 2003, and neither report says who will captain the side. Al Jazeera also notes that he has the largest social media following of any athlete, which is why a retirement note travels so far.
The farewell
Ronaldo said the decision was not an easy one, because some decisions are made with the heart as well as the head. He thanked his family, the Portuguese people and the teammates, coaches and staff he had worked with. He told supporters that the goals pass, the cups sit in museums and the records are eventually beaten, but the place a player holds in people’s hearts does not fade. He said he had worked all his life to be the best player in the world, and that the greater victory was to have deserved to represent Portugal.
The Portuguese Football Federation answered with what it called deep gratitude and immense admiration. It said Ronaldo had raised Portugal’s profile and inspired generations of young people, and that for many people he is the greatest player of all time. It plans to organise a tribute in which fans and the country can applaud him once more, according to AP and Reuters reporting carried by Al Jazeera. No date has been given.
What comes next for him
Ronaldo is not retiring from football. He plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where his next league match is on 20 November against Al Qadsiah. AP reports that he has scored 985 career goals and is chasing 1,000. He is expected to finish his club career at the end of this season.
The retirement follows a disagreement with the national coach, Jorge Jesus, in the last international break. Ronaldo’s last cap was a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales on 24 September, when he was substituted in the 67th minute. Jesus left him on the bench for the next match, and Ronaldo left the camp. The Portuguese federation suspended him for 30 days and fined him 255 euros, according to Al Jazeera. Jesus said afterwards that Ronaldo would be welcome back and that the decision was his to make. Al Jazeera notes that he gave no reason for retiring beyond his own words about the heart.
For Portugal, the practical question is who wears the captain’s armband and the number 7. Neither report names a successor. The federation says it wants the farewell to be a celebration, and the scale of the record he leaves means it will be hard to match. Lionel Messi finished his international career last month after a farewell match with Argentina, a contrast that AP notes. Portugal’s fans are still waiting for theirs.
