Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football

• Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo announced that he was retiring from international football at the age of 41.

• Ronaldo played 234 times for Portugal and scored 146 goals.

• He holds the all-time record for international appearances and for international goals.

• He is the first player to score in six different editions of the FIFA World Cup.

• His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro.

• He was born in Funchal, Madeira on February 5, 1985.

• The Portuguese striker is popularly known as “CR7” for his iconic jersey number 7.

• He represented Portugal in youth football in 2001.

• He made his senior team debut in 2003, aged 18.

• Ronaldo played for Portugal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at the age of 19.

• Ronaldo made his World Cup debut in 2006.

• In 2018, he became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match.

• He has won the Ballon d’Or five times.

• Ronaldo captained the team to their first major trophy at Euro 2016 and helped them win the 2019 and 2025 Nations Leagues.

• Ronaldo won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 in France, although he had to leave the field during the final with an injury.

• At this year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, he scored three goals but Portugal were knocked out in the Round of 16 by eventual winners Spain.

• He has played for five clubs: Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr.

• With 985 career goals to his name, Ronaldo may reach the 1,000-goals milestone soon.