Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal. File
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Cristiano Ronaldo announced his intention to retire from the Portuguese national team on Thursday (November 5, 2026) in a social media post.
The 41-year-old said that he would ‘hand back the number 7 shirt’ after the November international break.
Ronaldo has made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored 146 goals.
He holds the all-time record for international appearances and for international goals.
It was a sad ending to a lauded career that began more than two decades ago before Euro 2004 and finished with him walking out on the national team after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus.
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“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team,” the 41-year-old Ronaldo said in a long video message on social media.
“I never felt it belonged to me alone but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world.”
Published – November 05, 2026 04:22 pm IST
