Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he is retiring from international football, bringing a 23-year spell with the national team to a close. The 41-year-old shared the news on social media, including in a video posted on Instagram. Ronaldo leaves Portugal as the country’s all-time leading scorer, with 146 goals from 232 appearances, and said he will return the national team’s number seven jersey.
Ronaldo’s international career ends after 23 years
Ronaldo’s announcement marks the end of his international career with Portugal, which lasted 23 years. Across that period, he represented the national team in 232 matches and scored 146 goals. Those figures make him both Portugal’s most-capped player and its all-time leading scorer, reflecting the scale of his contribution to the team over more than two decades.
The forward made the announcement directly through his social media accounts. An Instagram video was among the posts through which he communicated his decision. His message was focused on ending his international career and stepping away from Portugal’s national team, rather than on any separate change to his playing status elsewhere.
Portugal’s number seven jersey to be returned
Alongside confirming his retirement, Ronaldo said he would return Portugal’s number seven jersey. The number has been closely associated with him during his years as the national team’s captain and leading scorer. Its return marks a practical as well as symbolic step in the transition following his departure from international football.
Ronaldo’s record of 146 goals in 232 appearances gives Portugal a clear measure of what he leaves behind at national-team level. His retirement closes a long chapter in which he was a regular presence for the country and its leading source of goals. The figures also place his contribution in historical context: no other Portugal player has scored more goals for the national team.
A long chapter closes for Portugal
The announcement concerns Ronaldo’s international career with Portugal. He said he would no longer represent the national team and would return its number seven shirt. The available details of his announcement do not set out further plans, so the decision is best understood as the conclusion of his 23-year journey with Portugal.
For the national team, the immediate change is the departure of its captain and record scorer from international duty. Ronaldo’s 232 appearances and 146 goals remain the defining numbers of his Portugal career, while the return of the number seven jersey signals that the team will move into a new period without him. His social media announcement brought that long-running association to an end, after more than two decades representing his country.
