Cristiano Ronaldo announces retirement from Portugal national football team
The 41-year-old player concludes international career with 146 goals in 234 matches
By Capital Kranti desk, Gandhinagar · Editor: Parth Thakkar
5 November 2026, 4:20 pm · Updated 9:30 am · 1 min read
This story was written by AI from the sources listed below; every claim and number in it was checked against them before it went up. How we check
Legendary Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football on Thursday. According to reports from Sportstar, BBC Sport, and Sky News, Ronaldo has ended his career with the Portugal national team.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo played a total of 234 matches for the national team, scoring 146 goals. His greatest achievement with Portugal was winning the 2016 European Championship. Additionally, he won the UEFA Nations League titles in 2018/19 and 2024/25.
However, his decision to retire from the national team has been controversial. During the October international window, he had a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus. In the Nations League match against Norway, Jesus refused to field Ronaldo. Following this incident, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo left the national team camp. He accused coach Jesus of breaking a promise regarding playing time.
Following this event, the Portuguese Football Federation handed Ronaldo a 30-day suspension for leaving the camp. This suspension was backdated, meaning he was free to return to the team. In October, Ronaldo apologised to the supporters and stated that he would accept any penalty imposed.
Ronaldo's name had been included in Portugal's preliminary squad for the Nations League matches scheduled for next week, raising hopes of his return after the differences with the coach. However, he has now finally decided to retire.
Where this story comes from
- Sportstar
- Sky News
- BBC Sport
- એબીપી અસ્મિતા
- Gulf News
- BBC Sport
- The Economic Times
- The Times of India
- The Economic Times
- સંદેશ (રમતગમત)
- ટીવી9 ગુજરાતી
- સંદેશ
- The Times of India
- The Times of India
- The Economic Times
- Al Jazeera
- The Kathmandu Post
- Al Jazeera
- સંદેશ (રમતગમત)
- News18
- The Times of India
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