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Archive photo · 2 July 2026Cristiano Ronaldo Announces Retirement From Portugal National Team, Hands Back Number 7
16 Western Mainstream3 Other1 Local Western1 West AsianPhoto: Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Ronaldo announced international retirement from Portugal via a social media video. He ends a 23-year international career and hands back the number 7 shirt.
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21 outlets told this the same way.
Ronaldo ends Portugal stint
Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from the Portugal national team in a video published on his social networks, ending a career that spanned more than two decades. Ronaldo, who is 41, said he was handing back the number 7 shirt of Portugal’s national team and described the decision as something made with both the head and the heart.
Ronaldo said his journey with the national team began in August 2003 and ended as he “pass[ed] it on to the future,” while the BBC noted that he made his debut in 2003 and later scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for Portugal. Portugal’s Football Federation said it refuses to “let this farewell take place without due tribute,” and it said it wanted fans and the country to applaud and celebrate Ronaldo’s career.
Dispute and sanctions
Ronaldo’s retirement came after controversy around his previous break, with the sources tying it to his leaving the Portugal camp in September after being told he would not start a Nations League match against Denmark. The Portuguese Football Federation’s Disciplinary Council sanctioned Ronaldo with 30 days’ suspension and a 255-euro fine for having abandoned Portugal’s training camp on September 30, and the BBC said he walked out after being told he would not start.
CNews said Ronaldo had left the national team gathering in Copenhagen on the eve of a match against Denmark after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus, and it said Ronaldo received a symbolic 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros after apologizing. Ronaldo’s own message framed the decision as a handover, as he told viewers, “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team,” while the BBC also quoted him saying, “Today the time has come to pass it on to the future.”
What comes next
Portugal planned to announce its squad for November’s Nations League fixtures, with the BBC saying the matches were against Denmark at home and Wales away. Ronaldo’s retirement also followed his relationship with national team coach Jorge Jesus, with France 24 reporting that Ronaldo fell out with Jorge Jesus after he refused to use him in a Nations League match and that he immediately left the team camp.
“Portugal will always be in me. To the Portuguese.”
France 24 said Ronaldo had played 234 times for Portugal and scored 146 goals, and it described him as holding the all-time record for international appearances and for international goals. Ronaldo’s farewell video emphasized that he saw “people” when he looked back on the national team, and he said “Portugal will always be in me,” as he closed his message about returning the number 7 to the future.