The world of football was shocked by the sudden announcement of Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from international football today. With one of the greatest to ever do it stepping down from the international stage, it was only natural that players and clubs from all over the world would salute the legend.
What Led To Cristiano Ronaldo’s Retirement
The whole saga of Cristiano Ronaldo and the national team has been quite strange to watch. As you may remember, the 2026 FIFA World Cup was not a memorable one for Portugal. Following the tournament, former Al Nassr manager Jorge Jesus was announced as the new head coach.
Check Out: Football World Reacts to CR7 Portugal Retirement
It all kicked off on the international tour in late September-early October. TL;DR, Ronaldo was supposed to be rested for a game against Norway but was asked to play anyway. The 41-year-old then warmed up for 30 minutes but was never brought onto the pitch.
The following day, as Ronaldo claimed later in a 2000-word document, manager Jesus was supposed to accept responsibility and apologise for the situation in a press conference, but instead he, in Ronaldo’s words, showed some aggression towards the Portuguese legend.
This was followed by Ronaldo leaving the national team camp, and he was thus suspended from the national team for 30 days. The Al-Nassr striker claimed that he still had intentions of representing Portugal on the international stage.
But not long before his suspension was to end, Cristiano Ronaldo took to social media to announce his retirement from the national team.
“Today my journey on the pitch with the national team comes to an end. I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I walked and with the awareness that I gave everything I had for Portugal,” Ronaldo said in his announcement video.
Football World Reacts to CR7 Portugal Retirement
With a momentous announcement coming out of nowhere, several players, clubs, and former teammates of CR7 have come out to tip their cap to one of the greatest footballers of all time. All of the following were comments under Crisitnao’s retirement announcement post.
Bruno Fernandes, who served as the captain of Portugal during Ronaldo’s suspension, wrote about how Cristiano inspired him since childhood.
Thank you for the inspiration. It was a privilege to be able to share great moments for our selection with my childhood hero.”
Ronaldo first became a global icon playing for Manchester United in the 2000s, where he was a teammate of and shared a friendship with legendary defender Rio Ferdinand, who summed up the career of CR7 in just five words, writing –
“It was a movie bro.”
Ronaldo’s former clubs, Manchester United, Sporting CP, and Juventus, all congratulated the legend for his once-in-a-lifetime career.
Meanwhile, national teammates Diego Dalot and Pepe, the latter of whom was arguably Ronaldo’s most iconic teammate for club and country, shared their pride in having shared a locker room with an all-time great.
Even Brazilian stars like Neymar Jr. and Vinicius Jr. called Cristiano Ronaldo a “legend” and “forever No. 1,” respectively.
As it hasn’t been too long since the announcement, best wishes and flowers are still coming in, with players and fans alike still processing the international retirement of probably the greatest striker of all time.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s International Career in Brief
Ronaldo made his debut for the Portuguese national team on August 20, 2003, as a substitute against Kazakhstan at the age of 18. And less than a year later, he was included in the Team of the Tournament of Euro 2004, where his team reached the final.
By this time, Cristiano was becoming a global superstar at Manchester United. For his country, not only did he carry the flame passed on by Luis Figo, but he was carving his own path towards becoming a future great.
Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 and was his team’s star striker in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups. By 2014, it was clear that while Ronaldo was one of the two best footballers on the planet, entangled in a career rivalry with Argentina’s Lionel Messi, the national team around him was not strong enough to win major titles.
That changed in 2016, when a Portuguese team that was not expected to do much went on to win Euro 2016 under Ronaldo’s captaincy, the country’s first major football title.
Ronaldo then led Portugal to their second international title, the 2019 UEFA Nations League. He would win the title with the national team again in 2025.
In September 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo became the second men’s footballer to reach the 100 international goals mark against Sweden, crossing the milestone with a second goal in the same game.
Then, a year later, he broke Ali Daei’s record of most international goals of 109, scoring his 110th and 111th against Ireland in September 2021.
While Ronaldo now had a string of stars around him in the national team, his career was winding down, with him not being the dominant striker he was in the 2000s and the 2010s. Still, he remained a prominent goal-scorer for the national team, finishing his tally at 146 goals in 234 appearances, the most goals and appearances of all time.
Ronaldo holds several records in international football, some of the more prominent ones being having played and scored in the most FIFA World Cups; scoring 94 goals after the age of 30, which is the most; scoring the most FIFA World Cup goals for Portugal with 11; scoring the most goals in UEFA Euros with 14; and leading Portugal to three major international trophies.
Football World Reacts to CR7 Portugal Retirement
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