Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football. The 41-year-old is ending his illustrious career, in which he scored 146 goals in 234 matches for the national team.
In a surprise announcement today, November 5, Ronaldo sent a message to the fans, saying it was time for him to step away from the national team after 23 years. He admitted that it was not an easy decision to make, but one he had to take for himself and the team.
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The Portugal legend has some incredible moments in his career, and we take a look at the five best:
Cristiano Ronaldo will be mocked by Lionel Messi fans for not winning the FIFA World Cup. But the Portuguese legend has an incredible history in the tournament, which will not be matched for some time, let alone broken.
The 41-year-old created history in the 2022 edition by becoming the first-ever male footballer to score at five editions of the FIFA World Cup. Messi matched the feat in 2026, but Ronaldo soon broke it by scoring against Uzbekistan.
The record is now safe for at least another 12 years, as the only player who can match it is Kylian Mbappé, who scored in 2018, 2022, and 2026.
#4 – Hat-trick vs Spain at FIFA World Cup 2018
Portugal needed someone to step up and deliver in the 2018 FIFA World Cup opener against Spain. But the captain answered the call when everything suggested the Spaniards would cruise to a win.
Ronaldo scored from the spot in the 4th minute, before Diego Costa levelled things up 20 minutes later. Spain seemed to be gaining control of the match, but a late first-half goal in the 44th minute saw Portugal retake the lead, with the captain scoring once again.
Spain started the second half strongly and took the lead just 13 minutes after the restart, with Costa scoring the equaliser again in the 55th minute, and Nacho scoring their third three minutes later.
The match seemed set for a 3-2 win for Spain when Ronaldo stepped up and scored from a stunning free kick in the 88th minute. Portugal had three shots on target in the game, all by Cristiano Ronaldo, and all ended up in the back of the net.
#3 – Hat-trick vs Sweden
Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Spain is the one that comes to most fans’ minds when they think about the Portugal legend and his hat-tricks. However, it was far from the most important one in his career.
In 2013, Portugal took on Sweden in the FIFA World Cup play-off and went into the second leg up 1-0 after winning at home. The second leg was level at half-time, but Ronaldo got on the scoresheet just five minutes after the restart.
Portugal took their foot off the gas, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic made them pay. The Swedish legend scored twice in four minutes to make it 2-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate in the 72nd minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up once again, scoring two goals in as many minutes to not only restore Portugal’s lead in the 79th minute, but also to help them qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
#2 – Breaking all-time top scorer record
Ali Daei scored 109 goals in his 13-year career for Iran between 1993 and 2006, and the record looked unbeatable for some time. And then came Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese legend pulled level with Daei in 2020 – 17 years into his international career – scoring in the UEFA Euro 2020 against France in June. The striker could not score again in the tournament and had to wait until September that year to break the record.
Ronaldo had a penalty saved by Gavin Bazunu in the game, but the goalkeeper could not stop him for long. In the 89th minute, when Ireland led 1-0, the Portugal captain scored the equaliser but refused to celebrate and ran back to the half-line, wanting to go all out for the win in the FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Just as things looked done, the striker outjumped the Irish defenders again and headed home the winner in the 96th minute, not just breaking Daei’s record on the night, but also extending his gap at the top.
Cristiano Ronaldo went on to score 35 more goals in his career, with the final one coming against Croatia at the FIFA World Cup – his only goal in the knockout stages of the tournament.
#1 – Cristiano Ronaldo captains Portugal to first-ever international trophy
Portugal had been competing in international football since 1921 and had never won a major international trophy in their 95 years. Cristiano Ronaldo and co. had the chance to end that run at the UEFA Euro 2016, and they did so in style.
Portugal were on the verge of an early exit in the group stage when Ronaldo scored a brace to help them keep their hopes alive. He scored from an unreal backheel flick in the 50th minute to make it 2-2, then headed home in the 63rd minute to make it 3-3 for Portugal.
The captain scored again in the semifinal win over Wales, before the iconic ‘manager-role’ from the sidelines after getting injured early in the final. Éder scored the lone goal of the final, as Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal went on to win the UEFA Euro 2016 and end their trophy wait.
Edited by Sripad