For this historic football moment, Cristiano Ronaldo sat down on his sofa. From a piece of paper he read out a long and emotional explanation why he was ending his career in the Portuguese national football team after 23 years, 234 games and 146 goals. Both values are world records: the number of international matches he has played as well as the number of goals he has scored in the red and green uniform.
“The day has come to return the number 7 jersey to our national team,” said the 41-year-old in his statement shared via Instagram. “I have never felt it to be exclusively my own, but for 23 years I have had the privilege and responsibility to wear it, defend it and take it with me to stadiums around the world.”
The tone was thus set. In his pathetic explanation, Ronaldo also included sentences like: “There are no clubs, no colors, no classes, no professions, no opinions - there is only one passion: Portugal.” He leaves “with my head held high, proud of the path I have taken and knowing that I gave everything I had for Portugal.”
Teammates, former teammates and important dignitaries reacted immediately and with respect. Her series alone shows what importance the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has for the country of 10.5 million inhabitants.
President António José Seguro wrote: “On behalf of Portugal, I thank Cristiano Ronaldo for the way he represented the national team, inspired the Portuguese and carried the name of Portugal to the world.” Europe's football association UEFA calls Ronaldo's career "a legacy that will last forever." Portugal international Fabio Silva from Borussia Dortmund was brief: “The best of them all,” he wrote.
However, all the appreciation and all the pathos can hardly suppress what led to the end of this international career in the last few weeks: the major rift between the superstar and Portugal's national coach Jorge Jesus. The Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” appropriately wrote of a “bitter ending”.
Because Ronaldo did not play in the Nations League game in Norway at the end of September and was only supposed to sit on the bench against Denmark four days later, he left the team headquarters overnight and was taken to Madrid in a private plane.
His statement a few days later, his accusations against Jorge Jesus and his bizarre expectation that the coach should have publicly read out a statement written by Ronaldo himself only made things worse. Even in the opinion of many fans and media in the country, there was too much selfishness and too little “passion for Portugal” involved in this departure.
Association President Pedro Proença tried to mediate until the end. After Ronaldo's resignation, all he had left were the big words: "Forever our captain. The doors of the Portuguese Football Association are always open to Cristiano Ronaldo. Thank you for everything - and for so much."
In the end, the facts and figures remain. Ronaldo won the 2016 European Championship and the Nations League in 2019 and 2025 with Portugal. The number of his international matches and international goals is one of the few records that he has ahead of his eternal rival Lionel Messi from Argentina.
Six World Cup appearances are also a record that he shares with Messi and the Mexican Guillermo Ochoa. Only Ronaldo never became world champion. His last World Cup tournament ended on July 6th with a 0-1 round of 16 defeat against Spain.
"I also failed, I also suffered, there were also moments when I couldn't give the Portuguese what they wanted so much. But I never gave up," said Ronaldo in farewell.
