So, there it is. Cristiano Ronaldo has officially called time on his Portugal national team career, retiring at the age of 41, on the eve of the November 2026 international break.

While the specter of Ronaldo’s retirement has been in the offing for some time, the announcement itself came as a surprise.

Ronaldo and Portugal had only recently been working to patch over the tensions that arose between the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and manager Jorge Jesus and took center stage during the last international window. Ronaldo had also only recently spoken of his desire to win a third UEFA Nations League.

And yet, on Thursday, Ronaldo announced in a video: “The day has come back for me to hand back the number 7 shirt of our national team. I never felt it belonged to me alone. But for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world.

“Today, the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision. Because some decisions are not made with the mind alone. They are also made with the heart.”

The Portuguese soccer federation released its own statement announcing plans for a “fitting tribute” to the superstar’s career.

Here’s a look back at the international track record of Portugal’s most iconic star.

Appearances

No men’s footballer has made as many international appearances (234) as Cristiano Ronaldo, who won his first Portugal cap way back in 2003.

Then aged just 18, Ronaldo came on as a half-time substitute for aging superstar Luís Figo in a 1–0 friendly win over Kazakhstan.

He has featured for the national team at least five times in every year since, fast becoming synonymous with the Portugal national team.

Significant Achievements

• Most international appearances men’s soccer—234
• Most European Championship finals matches appearances—30
• Only player to feature at six different Euros—2004, 2008, 2012,2016, 2020, 2024
• Second-most World Cup finals appearances—22

In 2024, he featured at a record sixth UEFA European Championships and stands alone as the competition’s all-time leading appearance maker with 30.

In November of the same year, Ronaldo broke the record for most international victories, overtaking Sergio Ramos’s record (132), and he went on to achieve a total of 142 wins with Portugal before retirement.

In the summer of 2026, he became the first male player in history to appear at six different World Cups. He is second only to Lionel Messi in number of World Cup matches played.

His final Portugal appearance, though no-one knew it at the time, came in the 1–0 Nations League over Wales in September.

Most International Appearances Men’s Soccer

Goals

Only one person has scored at six different FIFA World Cup tournaments.

That person is Cristiano Ronaldo.

Learn more 👉 https://t.co/KLN5A7Hqzi pic.twitter.com/qZqYJfxBSO

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 5, 2026

As with his number of appearances, Ronaldo also leads the way internationally in terms of goals. No men’s player has scored more than his total of 146.

The superstar forward scored his first senior Portugal goal in the Euro 2004 opener against Greece at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. Ultimately, Ronaldo’s strike would prove to be nothing more than a consolation goal in a surprise 2–1 defeat to the eventual tournament winners. However, it did open the floodgates to over two decades of goals, with the forward eventually openly targeting Iran legend Ali Daei’s long-standing record for international strikes.

In 2021, Ronaldo’s treble against Luxembourg in a 5–0 win made him the first player to score 10 hat-tricks in men's international football. The same year, he top-scored at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament with five goals.

Significant Achievements

• Most international appearances men’s soccer—146
• At least one international goal scored for 23 years
• Most Euros finals goals—14
• Most Euros qualifying goals—55
• First and only player to score at five different Euros finals
• First player to score 10 hat-tricks in men’s international soccer
• Only player to score at six World Cup finals
• Portugal’s all-time leading World Cup scorer—11

This summer, he became the first men’s player to score in six World Cup tournaments. His final strike in a Portugal shirt came from the penalty spot as his team overcame Croatia 2–1 in the round of 32 match in Toronto, dubbed the battle of the veterans.

He ranks joint-ninth for all-time leading World Cup goalscorers with 11 strikes. Curiously, his final goal in the win over Croatia was his only one in a World Cup knockout stage match.

Most International Goals Men’s Soccer

Trophies

🇵🇹 A legacy that’ll last forever. ⁰⁰Today, we’re celebrating @Cristiano’s three iconic UEFA national team competition wins with @selecaoportugal!⁰⁰#ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/xKgedE1pLS

— UEFA (@UEFA) November 5, 2026

Ronaldo finishes his international career with three trophy wins: Euro 2016, UEFA Nations League 2018–19 and UEFA Nations League 2024–25.

It took Ronaldo seven international tournaments to finally lift a trophy, doing so with the 1–0 victory over France in the final of Euro 2016 in Paris.

Though he scored three times at that tournament and was crucial to Portugal’s success, Ronaldo—famously—was not on the pitch for Eder’s extra-time winner, having gone off with a knee injury during the first half.

He also captained Portugal to two Nations League triumphs—top-scoring at both tournaments.

At the World Cup, the furthest he ever went was his debut performance in 2006 when his Portugal side was eliminated by a Zinedine Zidane penalty against France in the semifinal.

Ronaldo Full World Cup Record

Ronaldo Full European Championship Record