Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from the Portuguese national team, and with this decision, one of the greatest careers of a national team player in the history of the sport comes to an end.
Twenty-three years, 234 appearances, 146 goals, and three trophies—these numbers encapsulate a journey that began when he was just 18 years old and concluded with Ronaldo having rewritten nearly every major statistical category in Portugueseinto his own personal achievement.
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The most important achievement, however, lies beyond individual records. Before Cristiano’s era, the Portuguese men’s national team had not won a major official trophy. With Ronaldo as the central figure of an entire generation, the team ultimately won three titles: Euro 2016 and the 2019 and 2025 Nations League tournaments.
At the Top Since August 2003
The story began on August 20, 2003, when the then-18-year-old Ronaldo made his debut with the men’s national team against Kazakhstan.
Less than a year later, he was already competing in a major tournament. At Euro 2004, hosted in Portugal, he scored his first international goal and reached the final, where Portugal lost to Greece.
This was followed by the 2006 World Cup. At the age of 21, he became Portugal’s youngest scorer in a World Cup final tournament, while the team reached the semifinals and finished the tournament in fourth place.
From that point on, Ronaldo’s presence at major tournaments became a constant.
The night that changed the history of Portugal: The defining moment came in 2016 in France.
Portugal reached the European Championship final against host nation France at the “Stade de France.”
Ronaldo was injured and had to leave the game as early as the 25th minute, but he remained with the team and witnessed from the sidelines the most significant moment in his country’s history up to that point.
Eder’s goal in extra time made it 1-0 and gave Portugal its first major title in history.
Ronaldo finished that Euro tournament with three goals and three assists, and, after the heartbreak of the lost 2004 final, he lifted the trophy as captain—the one the country had been waiting for for decades.
Second title three years later
The success of 2016 was not a one-off.
In 2019, Portugal won the inaugural UEFA Nations League, this time in front of its home crowd.
Ronaldo played a decisive role and emerged as the top scorer of the Final Four, leading his team to a second major trophy in three years.
The country, which until 2016 had never won a major men’s title, now had two.
His third title at age 40
And the story didn’t end there.
In June 2025, at the age of 40, Ronaldo celebrated yet another Nations League title.
Portugal faced Spain in the final; the match ended 2–2, and Cristiano’s team prevailed 5–3 in a penalty shootout, winning the trophy for the second time.
He himself had scored eight goals in nine games in the tournament, remaining a key player more than two decades after his debut.
Thus, Portugal’s trophy case during his era closed out with three titles: Euro 2016, the 2019 Nations League, and the 2025 Nations League.
Portugal’s All-Time Record Holder
The numbers he leaves behind are unprecedented.
Ronaldo concluded his career with the national team with 234 appearances and 146 goals, leading Portugal by a wide margin in both categories.
João Moutinho follows with 146 appearances, while Pauleta is second in goals with 47. The gap Ronaldo has created between himself and the rest reflects the magnitude and, above all, the longevity of his career.
During his career, he also became the first male soccer player to reach 200 international appearances, while scoring a total of 10 hat tricks for Portugal.
Six Euros and six World Cups
The length of his career is even more evident when looking at major tournaments.
Ronaldo competed in the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 Euros, bringing his total to six appearances in the tournament. In total, he played in 30 European Championship matches and scored 14 goals—more than any other player in the tournament’s history.
He also competed in six World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026.
In his last World Cup, he became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments, bringing his total to 11 goals for Portugal in World Cup finals.
In that same tournament, he scored for the first time in a World Cup knockout match, against Croatia.
From a kid from Madeira to the captain of an era
Ronaldo first wore the Portugal captain’s armband in 2007. Since then, he has gradually evolved into the team’s undisputed leader.
He has experienced lost finals, eliminations, personal disappointments, and major doubts. At the same time, however, he was part of the most successful era the country has ever known at the men’s national team level.
In 2016, he won his first Euro title. In 2019, his first Nations League title. In 2025, his second Nations League title.
And in the end, he retired having linked his name to every major title Portugal had won up to that point.
“The time has come to hand over the No. 7 jersey of our national team. I never felt it was exclusively mine, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it,” he said in his farewell message.
His final sentence perhaps sums up this relationship better than any statistic: “Portugal will always be in my heart.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from the national team. His 234 appearances, 146 goals, countless records, and above all, the three trophies for a country that had never won one before his era—all remain as the legacy of a 23-year journey.
*photo source: AR
