Cristiano Ronaldo ends Portugal career after 234 international appearances

Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, ending Portugal’s most decorated men’s national-team career after 234 appearances and 146 goals. The 41-year-old forward announced the decision in a video posted on Instagram, shortly before Portugal was due to name its squad for upcoming Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales. Ronaldo said he was handing the team’s No.

7 shirt to the next generation after 23 years representing the country. “To the Portuguese people, the day has come to hand back the No. 7 shirt of the national team that belongs to us all,” Ronaldo said.

He added that the decision had not been easy because such choices were made with both the head and the heart. The announcement follows a period of tension with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo had recently served a 30-day suspension for walking out on the national team and acknowledged that leaving camp was not the best way to handle the situation.

He also said Jesus had “broke his word” more than once. The reports do not specify the precise disagreement, but they establish that the retirement came after a fallout between the veteran forward and the coach. Jesus said he had asked Ronaldo to continue with Portugal.

Speaking to Channel 11, he said the two had already discussed the issue before the first squad announcement and that Ronaldo would remain in the hearts of Portuguese supporters and the national team. Ronaldo’s international record makes him Portugal’s most prolific player in both major statistical categories. His 146 goals are the most in the men’s team’s history, while his 234 appearances also set a national record.

The announcement was therefore both a personal decision and an immediate selection issue for Portugal, arriving one day before Jesus was expected to reveal the squad for the Nations League fixtures. The supplied reports do not say whether Ronaldo will continue playing club football. They also differ in emphasis.

ABC News Australia focuses on the retirement, the suspension and the dispute with Jesus, while other supplied headlines frame the decision as the end of an era or assess the manner of Ronaldo’s departure. The confirmed facts are that he has ended his international career, relinquished the No. 7 shirt and left Portugal without its record scorer and appearance-holder.