Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus has said he asked Cristiano Ronaldo to carry on with the national team, and admitted he has no choice but to accept the 41-year-old’s decision to retire from international football.
The forward confirmed the end of his Portugal career on Thursday (November 5), 23 years after his 2003 debut, in a video message in which he spoke of handing back the number seven shirt. He bows out with 234 caps and 146 goals, both men’s international records, plus a European Championship and two Nations League titles.
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The announcement came 24 hours before Portugal were due to name their squad for the November camp. Jesus, who took charge after the 2026 World Cup, gave his first public reaction to Canal 11, in comments relayed by Fabrizio Romano:
“Cristiano is a global icon, an example for Portugal and the national team. I had a huge photo of him put up in our auditorium so that all the young players could look up to him every single day.”
He then added:
“I asked him to continue with me because I needed him by his side. But I have to accept his decision. He will always have a place in the hearts of the Portuguese people. He will always be an icon of Portuguese football.”
The Portuguese Football Federation said it did not want the farewell to pass without due tribute, and wants to organize a celebration in which supporters can applaud him once more. Portugal are already through to the Nations League quarterfinals and host Denmark on November 14 before traveling to Wales three days later.
Cristiano Ronaldo will keep playing at club level with Al Nassr, where he is 15 goals short of 1,000 for his career on 985.
The rift between Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo explored
The tribute came five weeks after a row that left the relationship in pieces. On September 27 in Oslo, the Al Nassr forward warmed up for much of the second half but never got on in a 2-1 win over Norway, then headed down the tunnel instead of thanking the traveling fans. Cristiano Ronaldo left the camp in Copenhagen on September 30 and accused Jesus of twice breaking his word, including over a public explanation he said they had agreed.
Jesus denied any agreement and said selection was his call. The Portuguese federation handed him a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine on October 19, and in his absence, Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen and Norway 2-1 in Porto. Pulse reported that Cristiano Ronaldo informed federation president Pedro Proença of his decision rather than the coach.
Edited by Vignesh Raja
