Portugal captain steps down with 146 goals and 234 caps, handing over the iconic No. 7 shirt after upcoming international break
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, closing out an extraordinary 23-year international career comprising 234 appearances and a world-record 146 goals for Portugal.
The 41-year-old forward confirmed the decision in an emotional video message, stating that he will officially surrender Portugal’s iconic No. 7 jersey following the conclusion of the upcoming international break.
Ronaldo’s tenure with the national team began at Euro 2004, where the then 19-year-old scored his first international goal—a late header against Greece in the group stage. Two years later, at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he dispatched the decisive penalty against England in the quarter-final shootout to send Portugal into the semi-finals.
His defining individual display arrived in late 2013 during the 2014 World Cup qualification playoffs against Sweden. After scoring the lone goal in the first leg, Ronaldo produced a second-half hat-trick in Stockholm to secure a 3-2 victory and book Portugal’s finals ticket.
Silverware followed at Euro 2016 in France. Despite being forced off with an injury during the final against the host nation, Ronaldo directed his teammates from the technical area before watching Eder score an extra-time winner to seal Portugal’s first major international title.
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he recorded a hat-trick in a 3-3 group-stage draw against Spain, punctuated by an 88th-minute direct free-kick. In September 2021, two late headers in a World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland took his tally to 111 goals, officially breaking Ali Daei’s men’s all-time record of 109.
Ronaldo secured his third major international honour in 2025, scoring an equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Spain before Portugal triumphed on penalties to lift the UEFA Nations League trophy.
