Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest names of world football, announced that he left the Portuguese National Team at the age of 41.
The experienced football player, who played in 234 national matches, scored 146 goals and 45 assists in these matches.
Ronaldo, who won the EURO 2016 European Football Championship with the Portuguese National Team, won the UEFA Nations League twice, in 2019 and 2025.
HERE IS CRISTIANO RONALDO'S STATEMENT:
to the Portuguese,
The day has come for all of us to give back the number 7 jersey of our national team. I never felt like this jersey belonged only to me. But for 23 years I have had the privilege and responsibility to wear it, defend it and take it to stadiums around the world. Today, the moment has come to hand it over to the future.
This wasn't an easy decision. Because some decisions are made not only with the mind but also with the heart.
A journey that started in August 2003 and changed my life forever is coming to an end.
When I look back and think about my experiences with the national team, I don't just see the matches, goals, records or trophies. I see people. I see expats who feel a little closer to Portugal for 90 minutes. I see millions of Portuguese people whom I have never met personally, but who are a part of my life. Because after all, football is much more than a game. Football is people.
I tried to exceed my limits throughout my career in the national team. I wanted to win, I wanted to be the best, I wanted to go down in history. I have always been meticulous about myself. I always wanted more, I always believed we could go further. And I gave everything I could for this jersey.
There have been wonderful afternoons and nights, there have been victories I will never forget, there have been defeats that even today I have a hard time remembering. I too have failed, I have suffered, there have been moments when I could not give the Portuguese what they so desperately wanted. But I never gave up. And above all, I have never lost the pride I feel in representing Portugal.
During these years, I have learned very simple things: goals pass, trophies remain in museums, records are eventually broken. But there is one thing that time can never erase: the place we occupy in people's hearts.
If I made you happy just once, if you hugged someone, forgot a worry or made you proud of our country because of a goal I scored, then it was all worth it. Because that's what it means to be Portuguese. We suffer together, we rise together, we believe again.
Portugal will need young people who always dream, players who never give up, new generations who believe it is possible to reach places no one else can. Because a country that continues to create new heroes is a country that never loses faith in itself.
I would like to leave a special message to my national teammates. Thank you for every run, every hug, every argument, every silence before stepping onto the field, every victory we celebrate together and every defeat that makes us stronger. I have had the privilege of being your captain, but no captain walks alone. And you are part of my story.
Thank you to all the coaches, managers, doctors, physiotherapists, outfitters, staff and many others who have worked with me over these years. Many of you never appeared in the photos, but none of these photos would have been taken without you.
To my family, thank you for sharing this dream with me. I am away, thank you for understanding my sacrifices and the moments when the national team had to occupy a place in my life that belonged to you. The reason I've come this far is because we've always held hands.
And to the Portuguese... I want to say one last thing to all the Portuguese scattered around the world. There is one image I will always carry with me: the moment the national anthem begins. I look around, I see my teammates, I see the stands, I see the children, mothers, fathers and grandmothers, I see the Portuguese who came from far away just to be there. And during those minutes our differences disappear. There are no clubs, no colours, no classes, no professions, no opinions. There is only one passion: Portugal.
This is the feeling I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Today, my journey on the field with the national team ends. I leave with my head held high, proud of the journey I have made and knowing that I gave everything I could for Portugal. But I will never stop being one of you. I will continue to experience, get excited and celebrate every victory of Portugal with you.
I have worked all my life to be the best football player in the world. Today I realize that my greatest victory was being deemed worthy of representing the best country in the world. Thank you for these 23 years. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for letting me live a dream that started when I was just a kid chasing a ball in Madeira.
The number 7 jersey is here to stay, the pride of wearing it will be with me forever. Portugal will always be in my heart.
Goodbye.
