Cristiano Ronaldo retires from Portugal duty after 23 years and 146 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football after 23 years, ending a Portugal career in which he scored 146 goals in 234 appearances. His final match came on 24 September against Wales. The 41-year-old leaves as the most prolific scorer for a national side and the player who has pulled on the Portugal shirt more times than anyone else.

His exit followed a dispute with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo left the team's training camp without permission and was sanctioned with a 30-day punishment, which he had already served, and a fine of 255 euros. Jesus kept him on the bench for one match and said he did not plan to start him in the next, so Ronaldo went home.

A message circulated in Portugal thanking him, describing him as a global ambassador and an inspiration to millions. Even so, the way the career ended leaves a slightly bitter taste, the BBC reports. Jesus said the door remained open and the decision was Ronaldo's, but it was clear he was no longer an automatic starter - a position he has never handled well.

From tears in Lisbon to glory in Paris

Ronaldo's first great disappointment came at home. At 19 he played in the Euro 2004 final at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz, where a single headed goal by Angelos Charisteas gave Greece a surprise victory. The image of the teenager crying on his own pitch travelled around the world.

He wore 17 at first because Luis Figo held the number 7. When Figo left the national team in 2006, the shirt and the team became Ronaldo's. In September 2005, before a qualifier in Russia, Scolari and Figo came to his room to tell him his father had died. Scolari offered to send him home; Ronaldo chose to play, asked his team-mates to behave normally, and later called Scolari "father".

Things turned sour under Carlos Queiroz after Portugal's 2010 World Cup exit against Spain. Under Fernando Santos, Ronaldo adapted, accepting a role as a centre forward alongside Nani. In the Euro 2016 final in Paris he left the pitch injured and in tears, but at half-time he encouraged his team-mates and, before extra time, told Eder he would score. Portugal won their first major title.

A hat-trick against Switzerland in 2019 took Portugal to the first Nations League final, which they won; in 2025 he lifted a second Nations League at an age when most players have retired. Under Roberto Martinez he scored 28 goals in 37 games, 0.756 per match, bettering his 0.624 under Santos.

The sociologist Joao Nuno Coelho argues the national team became a representation of Portuguese identity and of the country's need to be seen internationally. Some questioned Ronaldo's individualism; former international Jorge Andrade said some supporters preferred figures such as Figo, Eusebio, Paulo Futre or Rui Costa. With the titles, doubts eased.

The Portuguese federation has announced a special tribute in his honour. For many fans, there has been little room to celebrate an ending they wanted to share in.

Source: BBC World.