Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international duty with Portugal, the Portuguese captain retires as the nation’s top appearance maker and scorer.
Ronaldo made 234 international appearances and scored 146 goals for Portugal having made his debut in 2003. He won the 2016 European Championship, in addition to two Nations League titles, with Portugal.
Storied Portuguese National Team Career
Ronaldo made his senior debut for Portugal on August 20, 2003, in a friendly against Kazakhstan aged 18 and had his first major tournament came at Euro 2004, hosted by Portugal where he scored twice before Portugal eventually lost the final against Greece.
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Ronaldo scored his first World Cup goal against Iran as Portugal reached the semi-finals eventually finishing fourth after losing to France in the semi-final and Germany in the third-place match. T
Portugal reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 and the semi-finals of Euro 2012, where they were eliminated by Spain on penalties and at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Ronaldo scored once before Portugal were knocked out by eventual champions Spain in the round of 16.
A group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil followed before Ronaldo eventually won an international trophy at Euro 2016 in France. Portugal added another major trophy in 2019 by winning the inaugural UEFA Nations League where Ronaldo played a decisive role, scoring a hat-trick in the semi-final against Switzerland before Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in the final. T
In September 2021, Ronaldo became the highest-scoring men’s international footballer in history, overtaking Iran’s Ali Daei, who had held the record with 109 goals. and at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo became the first male player to score at five different World Cup tournaments after converting a penalty against Ghana.
Ronaldo secured another international title in 2025 when Portugal won the UEFA Nations League for a second time, defeating Spain in the final, which ended 2–2 after extra time before the Portuguese side triumphed on penalties.
At the 2026 World cup, Ronaldo became the first male player to score at six different World Cup tournaments eventually ending his international career with 146 goals from 234 appearances, making him the most-capped and highest-scoring men’s international footballer in history.
