Ronaldo, 41, announced the decision on Thursday, 5 November, in an emotional video message posted on social media. "To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team," he said, closing a journey that began in August 2003 and lasted 23 years.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner leaves as the all-time leading goalscorer in men's international football, with 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal. He played in six World Cups, captained Portugal to their first major trophy at Euro 2016, and helped them win the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and again in 2025.
The ending, though, was far from the fairytale many expected. Ronaldo's final appearance for his country came on 24 September, in a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales. Days later, he walked out of the national team's training camp on 30 September after falling out with head coach Jorge Jesus, who had kept him on the bench during a match against Norway at the end of September and made him warm up without bringing him on. The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) fined him 255 euros and handed him a 30-day suspension, but left the door open for a return. Ronaldo chose not to walk back through it.
Fresh details emerged at the coach's latest press conference, where Jesus announced his squad for Portugal's Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales this month. Jesus said he had been ready to call Ronaldo up for the November internationals until he learned of the retirement on Thursday. "Of course I thought about calling him up. Of course I thought about speaking with him. But I have to respect it," Jesus said. "He decided it was time to leave the national team. Sooner or later, it had to happen."
FPF president Pedro Proenca assured fans that the federation will honour Ronaldo with celebrations and a special tribute, though a farewell match has yet to be announced. Jesus's new squad includes seven new players, five of them promoted from Portugal's Under-21 side, as the team begins life without its record goalscorer.
Ronaldo is not retiring from football entirely — at least not yet. He continues to play for Saudi club Al-Nassr, where he has starred since 2023, and in an interview published in August he said this season was "probably" his last year of football. His Al-Nassr contract runs until June 2027.
The retirement comes just weeks after his long-time rival Lionel Messi played his farewell match for Argentina last month, closing the international chapter of football's most famous rivalry within weeks of each other.
(Sources: Al Jazeera, USA Today, NBC Sports, Le Temps)
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Urdu version:
کرسٹیانو رونالڈو نے پرتگال کی قومی ٹیم سے ریٹائرمنٹ کا اعلان کر دیا ہے — 23 سالہ شاندار بین الاقوامی کیریئر کا اختتام۔ 41 سالہ رونالڈو نے جمعرات 5 نومبر کو سوشل میڈیا پر اپنے ویڈیو پیغام میں کہا، "پرتگال کے لوگوں، وہ دن آ گیا ہے کہ میں قومی ٹیم کی نمبر 7 شرٹ واپس کر دوں۔" رونالڈو نے پرتگال کے لیے 234 میچوں میں 146 گول کیے — مردوں کی بین الاقوامی فٹ بال میں سب سے زیادہ گول کا عالمی ریکارڈ۔ انہوں نے چھ ورلڈ کپ کھیلے، یورو 2016 جتایا اور 2019 اور 2025 میں نیشنز لیگ جیتی۔
ان کا آخری میچ 24 ستمبر کو ویلز کے خلاف 1-0 کی جیت تھا۔ اس کے بعد کوچ جارج جیسس سے اختلاف ہوا — ناروے کے خلاف میچ میں انہیں بینچ پر بٹھایا گیا اور وارم اپ کرایا مگر میدان میں نہ اتارا گیا — جس پر رونالڈو 30 ستمبر کو کیمپ چھوڑ کر چلے گئے۔ فیڈریشن نے 255 یورو جرمانہ اور 30 روز کی معطلی دی، مگر واپسی کا دروازہ کھلا رکھا۔ اب جیسس نے بتایا ہے کہ وہ نومبر کے میچوں کے لیے رونالڈو کو بلانا چاہتے تھے، مگر ان کے فیصلے کا احترام کرتے ہیں۔ پرتگال فٹ بال فیڈریشن نے رونالڈو کے اعزاز میں خصوصی تقریب کا اعلان کیا ہے، البتہ الوداعی میچ کی تاریخ ابھی طے نہیں ہوئی۔ رونالڈو فی الحال سعودی کلب النصر کے لیے کھیلتے رہیں گے۔
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