Cristiano Ronaldo: The man who changed the history of Portuguese football, leaving world records for future generations to follow.
Cristiano Ronaldo officially ended his career with the "Seleção" Portugal national team on 5 November 2026, after a long 23-year tenure from 2003 to 2026, featuring in 234 matches and scoring 146 goals. He won the Euro 2016 championship, Portugal's first European title, as well as two UEFA Nations League titles in 2018–19 and 2024–25.
Looking back to 20 August 2003, Ronaldo made his senior international debut at age 18 in a friendly match, a 1-0 win over Kazakhstan. On 12 June 2004, he scored his first international goal in a 1-2 loss to Greece during Euro 2004.
On 17 June 2006, he participated in his first World Cup, scoring his first World Cup goal in a 2-0 victory over Iran. Then, on 6 February 2007, he captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil.
He reached 100 international caps on 16 October 2012 during a World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland. About a year later, on 6 September 2013, he scored his first international hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Northern Ireland. Subsequently, on 5 March 2014, he became Portugal's all-time top scorer by netting two goals against Cameroon, surpassing Pauleta's record of 47 goals.
On 10 July 2016, Ronaldo played a crucial role in leading Portugal to their first major championship, winning the UEFA European Championship (Euro 2016) by defeating host nation France 1-0 in extra time. Two years later, on 15 June 2018, he scored a hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Spain at the 2018 World Cup finals.
His second major trophy came on 9 June 2019 when he helped Portugal win the UEFA Nations League for the first time, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final. On 8 September 2020, Ronaldo scored his 100th international goal in a Nations League match against Sweden, which Portugal won 2-0.
Ronaldo became the world's all-time leading male international goal scorer on 1 September 2021, when he scored two late goals against Ireland to surpass Iran’s Ali Daei's record of 109 goals.
His prolific scoring continued as he became the first male footballer in history to score in five consecutive World Cups, a record set on 24 November 2022. On 20 June 2023, he reached 200 international caps, becoming the first male player worldwide to reach this milestone in a 1-0 win over Iceland.
On 18 June 2024, Ronaldo set the record for most appearances at the UEFA European Championship, participating in six consecutive tournaments from 2004 to 2024. Then, on 8 June 2025, he led Portugal to their second UEFA Nations League title by defeating Spain on penalties 5-3 after a 2-2 draw, marking their second title in this competition's history.
On 23 June 2026, Ronaldo scored twice against Uzbekistan at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first player to score in six World Cup tournaments. He also broke Eusébio's Portuguese World Cup goal-scoring record, reaching 11 goals.
On 24 September 2026, Ronaldo played his final match for Portugal, a 1-0 UEFA Nations League victory over Wales. On 5 November 2026, he officially announced his international retirement via a video statement, ending a 23-year and 35-day career with the "Seleção" and leaving a legendary legacy for the football world to celebrate.