Cristiano Ronaldo confirms international retirement after World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo confirms international retirement after World Cup Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed the World Cup will be his final tournament at international level, with the 41-year-old set to call time on his Portugal career. The Selecao face Spain in the Round of 16 on Monday night, with five of the last six encounters between the two having finished level after 90 minutes. Ronaldo has had a mixed tournament so far, scoring three times in four games, but receiving significant criticism for his lack of contribution against DR Congo and Colombia in draws with both nations. He did slot away the winner against Croatia in the Round of 32 though, keeping his cool to slot away a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo confirms imminent Portugal retirement There has even been a suggestion that manager Roberto Martinez should drop him, although Spain midfielder Gavi defended Ronaldo earlier in the day . Ronaldo defended himself against the criticism, noting that he was used to media pressure. “I’ll quit when I want to, not when others want me to. I always get asked the same questions; I want to focus on other things, on playing well,” he told Diario AS before the clash, later confirming it was his final tournament. “What stays with you is the people, the people who love you. I share hotels with the staff, and those are spectacular memories. Yesterday on the flight, there was an Argentine flight attendant. I knew she was Argentine by the way she looked at me. “I knew you were Argentine by the way you looked at me,” I told her. If you look away quickly, it means you don’t like Cristiano (laughs). I want to enjoy what will be my last World Cup to the fullest; hopefully, tomorrow won’t be my last match. That way, you can kill me a little more.” Ronaldo’s career in international football Ronaldo has had one of the most storied international careers in the game, and currently holds the record for the number of goals in international football, with 146 goals in his 232 appearances, a total he will hope to add to on Monday. Portugal’s greatest ever player, he helped deliver the Euros in 2016, and the Nations League on two occasions in 2019 and 2025.