According to a report by Daily Post on Thursday, November 5, 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly chose to retire from international football because he no longer wished to play under Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus following a disagreement between them.

Portuguese newspaper A Bola reported that the 41-year-old forward announced his decision without informing Jesus, even though the manager was reportedly preparing to include him in Portugal's squad for the November international fixtures.

The report suggested that Ronaldo deliberately made his retirement announcement shortly before the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) was scheduled to release its squad for the upcoming international break.

The former Manchester United forward reportedly wanted to prevent another call-up from Jesus after deciding that he would not continue his international career under the former Al-Nassr manager.

A Bola further revealed that the pair have not spoken since September 30, when Ronaldo suddenly left Portugal's training camp in Copenhagen following tensions with the coach.

Before making his retirement public, Ronaldo reportedly informed FPF president Pedro Proença of his decision. However, he did not speak directly with Jesus about his plans to end his international career.

The announcement reportedly came as a surprise to Jesus, who had planned to bring the Al-Nassr captain back into the squad for the November fixtures.

Jesus had previously stressed Ronaldo's importance to the national team and expressed his willingness to continue working with the experienced forward.

Their relationship reportedly began to deteriorate in September after Ronaldo was left on the bench during Portugal's 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway.

The disagreement was said to have centred on playing time and an alleged understanding between the player and his manager. Ronaldo reportedly claimed that Jesus had promised him 30 minutes of action against Norway but failed to fulfil the agreement.

The forward subsequently left Portugal's training camp ahead of the team's meeting with Denmark, further raising questions about the state of his relationship with the manager.

Ronaldo later gave his account of the incident, accusing Jesus of failing to keep his word on two occasions. Although he expressed regret over the way he left the camp, he maintained that his commitment to Portugal remained unchanged.

The Portuguese Football Federation subsequently handed him a 30-day suspension over the incident.

In October, reports emerged suggesting that Ronaldo could return to the national team after completing his suspension, with the federation reportedly including him in its preliminary plans for the November fixtures.

However, his retirement announcement has now brought those expectations to an unexpected end.

Ronaldo's decision marks the conclusion of an extraordinary 23-year international career with Portugal. He made his senior debut in 2003 and retires as the country's all-time leading goalscorer, having recorded 146 goals in 234 appearances.

He also captained Portugal to their historic 2016 European Championship victory and two UEFA Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.