Cristiano Ronaldo has played his last game for Portugal. The 41-year-old said so in a video message on Thursday, 5 November. He called it the day he hands back the No. 7 shirt.
It ends a 23-year run with his country. Ronaldo made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored 146 goals. Both are men’s international records. No other man has scored more goals for his country.
Updated: 6 November 2026, 10:00 IST
Quick Read
- Ronaldo announced his Portugal retirement on 5 November, after the November international break.
- He leaves with 234 caps and 146 goals, plus Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles.
- He is NOT quitting football. He keeps playing for Saudi club Al-Nassr, under contract till June 2027.
What Ronaldo said
“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team,” Ronaldo said in the video, The Hindu reported. He added that Portugal will always be a part of him.
The announcement came after the November international break, as he had planned. His last match for Portugal was on 24 September, a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales. Nobody knew then that it would be his final game in the shirt.
Portugal’s football federation said it would organise a “fitting tribute” to his career. It has not fixed a date or a format yet. A farewell match on the pitch is still possible. Nothing is confirmed.
The row with the coach
The ending was not clean. It followed a public fallout with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, who had also managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
Jesus left Ronaldo out of the side against Norway. Ronaldo walked out of the national team camp on 30 September, a day before a Nations League match in Denmark. The federation fined him €255 and banned him for 30 days. The ban started on 1 October, so he had already served 19 days of it by the time he announced his retirement.
Jesus said on 5 November that he had hoped to bring Ronaldo back into the team. Ronaldo did not mention the row in his announcement video.
Ronaldo had said earlier that he was thinking of quitting international football after the 2026 World Cup. Portugal lost to Spain in the round of 16 there. That turned out to be his last World Cup. He played in six of them, from 2006 to 2026.
The numbers
The raw figures tell the story. 234 games. 146 goals. That works out to about 0.62 goals per game, across 23 years. He won Euro 2016, Portugal’s first big trophy, and the Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
Here is how his last six weeks played out:
- 24 September: last Portugal game, 1-0 win over Wales.
- 30 September: walks out of the camp before the Denmark game.
- 1 October: 30-day ban and €255 fine begin.
- 5 November: announces his Portugal retirement in a video.
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His great rival Lionel Messi also quit international football this year, in July, after Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final to Spain. The two men defined an era. Both are gone from international football now.
What it means for fans in India
For Indian fans, the news hits hard. Ronaldo has a huge following in India. When FC Goa played Al Nassr in October 2025, 14,389 fans turned up at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. Most wore Al Nassr shirts with Ronaldo’s name on the back. Ronaldo did not even play that night. He had been rested.
“99 percent bought a ticket because of Ronaldo,” FC Goa supporter George D’Souza told Sportstar after that game. Some fans had bought tickets and stayed home once they learned he would not play.
In Kolkata, fans started planning trips to Riyadh to watch him play within days of his move to Al Nassr in January 2023, The Telegraph reported. Some wanted to fly out for a February or March game. That is how deep the following runs.
The good news for those fans: Ronaldo is not done with football. He stays with Al Nassr, where he has played since 2023. His contract runs till June 2027. Indian fans can still watch him in club football, in the Saudi Pro League and the Asian Champions League.
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What happens next
Portugal play Denmark in the Nations League on 14 November and travel to Wales three days later. Ronaldo will not be in the squad. The federation names its squad on Friday.
Ronaldo told Vogue in August: “This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.” If he stops at the end of this season, his last club games will come in the spring of 2027.
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For now, Portugal must plan life after its greatest player. And Indian fans must get used to a Portugal team without the No. 7 they grew up watching.
FAQs
Q: Is Cristiano Ronaldo retiring from football?
A: No. He has retired only from international football with Portugal. He will keep playing for his club, Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where his contract runs till June 2027.
Q: When was Ronaldo’s last game for Portugal?
A: 24 September 2026, a 1-0 Nations League win over Wales. That was his 234th and final appearance for his country.
Q: Will Ronaldo get a farewell match for Portugal?
A: The Portuguese federation said it wants to organise a “fitting tribute” to his career. It has not announced a date or a format, so a farewell game on the pitch is possible but not confirmed.
Sources
- The Hindu — Cristiano Ronaldo retires from Portuguese national team (5 Nov 2026)
- Indian Express — Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football (5 Nov 2026)
- USA Today — Is Cristiano Ronaldo retiring from soccer? (5 Nov 2026)
- Reuters — Ronaldo exits Portugal stage with records intact and farewell clouded by rift (5 Nov 2026)
- Sportstar/The Hindu — FC Goa vs Al Nassr fan report (Oct 2025)
Sasanka Sekhar Pradhan is the founder of India Presents, an India-focused news site. He covers daily box-office trackers, India news, economy explainers, sports previews and festival guides — in simple English, so readers across India can follow fast-moving stories without jargon. His focus is what a story means for the reader: the number that matters, the source behind it, and what happens next. India Presents publishes daily, with day-trackers updated as new figures come in.
