Five-time Ballon d'Or winner and forward Cristiano Ronaldo has ended his career with the Portugal national football team. He announced this on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

"Today is the day I part ways with the national team’s number 7 jersey. It is time to pass it on to the future," Ronaldo said in a video message.

On September 30, midway through a training camp, Ronaldo left the Portugal national team setup. According to him, this happened because the team’s head coach, Jorge Jesus, had twice broken promises made to the player. The footballer took part in the opening match of the new Nations League season against Wales (1–0), but was subsequently left on the bench for the game against Norway (2–1). As the player himself noted, he was not originally supposed to play in that match; however, the coach asked him to be ready to come on for 30 minutes and sent him to warm up, yet ultimately left him on the bench. Later, Ronaldo stated that he has no intention of retiring from the national team and remains available for selection.

The Portuguese Football Federation subsequently suspended the forward from national team matches for one month and fined him 255 euros. He was eligible to take part in the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Denmark (November 14) and Wales (November 17), as his suspension would have expired by that time.

Ronaldo is 41 years old. He is a five-time Champions League winner, a European champion, and a two-time Nations League winner. He holds the records for the most goals scored in the history of national team competitions, the European Championship, the Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Since December 2022, the footballer has been playing for the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Over the course of his career, the forward has also played for Sporting (Portugal), Manchester United (England), Real Madrid (Spain), and Juventus (Italy). Ronaldo has scored 985 career goals: 150 for his national team and 835 at the club level.