The 41-year-old ends a 23-year international career marked by a falling out with coach Jorge Jesus.
Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday he will no longer play for Portugal, closing out a national team career that stretched across six World Cups, a European Championship and two Nations League titles. He made his senior debut 23 years ago and leaves with 234 caps and 146 goals, the men's all-time international scoring record.
The announcement came after Ronaldo reportedly clashed with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, part of a turbulent final stretch that included bombshell public statements and fines before he walked away from the setup entirely.
In a lengthy video message posted to social media, Ronaldo addressed the Portuguese people directly. "To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team," he said. "I never felt it belonged to me alone but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world. Today the time has come to pass it on to the future."
His exit leaves an obvious hole in Portugal's attack, even though he had long been past his peak in national colors, and raises the question of what becomes of the No. 7 shirt he wore for over two decades.