- BIST10011,447+3.84%
- USD50.03+0.05%
- EUR56.26+0.56%
- GOLD4,138.30+1.60%
- INTEREST36.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN80,224-0.25%
- November 5, 202612°
- BIST10011,447+3.84%
- USD50.03+0.05%
- EUR56.26+0.56%
- GOLD4,138.30+1.60%
- INTEREST36.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN80,224-0.25%
- November 5, 202612°
Cristiano Ronaldo ends Portugal career: "Portugal will always be within me"
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from the national team after 23 years with a farewell letter posted on social media. The 41-year-old footballer leaves as the leading male international scorer in history, with 146 goals in 234 appearances.
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo announced that he was ending his Portugal national team career. In a video lasting nearly five minutes that he posted on his Instagram account on Thursday morning, the 41-year-old read aloud a farewell letter to the Portuguese people and captioned the post, "Portugal will always be within me."
Ronaldo made 234 appearances for Portugal over 23 years after first wearing the national shirt in August 2003. He leaves with 146 goals as the leading male international scorer in football history. The captain led Portugal to the 2016 European Championship and two UEFA Nations League titles.
The farewell video opens with an image of the No. 7 shirt hanging in the dressing room and continues with archive footage of Ronaldo's memorable moments with the national team. Beginning with the words, "The day has come to return our national team's No. 7 shirt," Ronaldo thanks his teammates, coaching staff, family and Portuguese people around the world.
The decision follows the Jorge Jesus dispute
According to Britain's Sky Sports, the decision to say farewell came after Ronaldo's disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus during the previous international break. Ronaldo remained on the bench in Portugal's 2-1 away win over Norway on September 27, then left the squad before the Nations League match against Denmark in Copenhagen. In a statement in early October, he said he had not retired from the national team and that, after the 2026 World Cup, he had written a farewell letter to the Portuguese people and was saving it for the day he would leave the national team.
"To the Portuguese people": Ronaldo's farewell letter
Ronaldo read the following letter in the video:
"To the Portuguese people,
The day has come to return our national team's No. 7 shirt. I never thought that shirt belonged only to me. But for 23 years, I carried the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it and taking it to stadiums around the world. Today, it is time to entrust it to the future.
It was not an easy decision. Because some decisions are made not only with the mind, but also with the heart. The journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has now come to an end.
When I look back at everything I experienced with the national team, I do not see only the matches, goals, records or trophies. I see people. I see Portuguese people living abroad who felt a little closer to home for 90 minutes. I see millions of people I have never met but who became part of my life. Because football is ultimately much more than a game; football is about people.
Throughout my national team career, I always pushed my limits. I wanted to win, become better and make history. I always demanded the best and more from myself; I always believed we could go further. And I gave everything I had for this shirt.
We experienced perfect nights and won victories I will never forget. There were also defeats that still hurt to remember. I made mistakes and suffered. There were moments when I could not give the Portuguese people what they wanted so much. But I never gave up, and above all, I never lost the pride I felt in representing Portugal.
The years taught me a few very simple things: Goals are forgotten, trophies enter museums, and records are eventually broken. But there is one thing that time can never erase: the place we earn in people's hearts. If I made you happy even once, if a goal I scored helped someone embrace you, forget a problem or feel proud of our country, then it was all worth it. Because that is also what being Portuguese means: We suffer together, rise together and believe again.
Portugal will always need young people brave enough to dream, players who never give up and new generations who believe they can go where no one has gone before. Because a country that constantly raises new heroes is a country that never stops believing in itself.
To my teammates: Thank you for every run, every embrace, every argument and every silence before taking the field. Thank you for every victory we celebrated together and every defeat that made us stronger. I had the privilege of being your captain, but no captain walks alone; you will always be part of my story.
Thank you to all the coaches, administrators, doctors, physiotherapists, kit managers and staff members I worked alongside over the years. Many of you never appeared in a photograph, but without you, none of those photographs would exist.
To my family: Thank you for sharing this dream with me and for understanding and accepting my hardships and sacrifices. If I have come this far, it is because we always walked hand in hand.
And to every Portuguese person, wherever you may be in the world: There is one image I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The moment our national anthem begins... I look around and see my teammates, the stands, children, mothers, fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers, and Portuguese people who came from far away simply to be there. For those few minutes, all our differences disappear. Clubs, colors, social classes, professions and disagreements no longer matter. Only one passion remains: Portugal.
Today, my journey on the field with the national team comes to an end. I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I have taken and knowing that I gave everything I had for Portugal. But I will never stop being one of you; I will continue to share your excitement, joy and celebrations with every Portuguese victory.
I spent my life working to become the best player in the world. Today, I understand that my greatest victory was earning the right to represent the best country in the world.
Thank you for these 23 years, for believing in me and for allowing me to live the dream of a little boy from Madeira who chased a ball.
The No. 7 shirt will remain here. But the pride of having worn it will remain with me forever. Portugal will always be within me.
Forever.
Cristiano Ronaldo"
Milestones from 23 years
Ronaldo first wore the national shirt on August 20, 2003, in a friendly against Kazakhstan, when he was 18. A year later, the young star became known for his tears at the 2004 European Championship, where host Portugal lost to Greece in the final. In 2016, he became the captain who lifted the European Championship trophy in Paris. Under his leadership, Portugal also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
Ronaldo surpassed Iranian Ali Daei's record of 109 goals in 2021 to become the leading male international scorer in history, and leaves with his tally at 146. The star, who played at six European Championships and six World Cups, also tops the list of male players with the most appearances for a national team.
Video: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram. Photos: social media
Have a story, event or announcement of your own?Send us your news on WhatsApp
Spotted an error in this story?Report it on WhatsApp
Share on all social platforms
Sponsored Ads
Featured Listings
Loading featured properties...
Stay Updated with The Turkiye Times
Subscribe to be informed about special news, developments and announcements. We will keep you informed.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy
