Portugal’s prime minister got there first. As Cristiano Ronaldo posted the video that ended his 23-year run with the national team, Luís Montenegro was already on X with three capitalised letters and a promise.
“Cristiano, O B R I G A D O,” Montenegro wrote in a post Observador published within minutes of Ronaldo’s announcement.
“What you did on the field for Portugal will echo in eternity. And now, off the field, you will continue to be Portugal in the world.”
The message, posted at 11:19 local time according to A Bola, ran above an image of the two men embracing.
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234 caps, 146 goals, two Nations Leagues
Ronaldo, 41, closed his international career with 234 caps and 146 goals, both national records, as Al Jazeera reports. His captaincy brought Portugal their first major trophy at Euro 2016, followed by the Nations League titles of 2019 and 2025.
In his farewell video, Ronaldo said:
“Portugal will always be a part of me.”
Six weeks after Copenhagen
Montenegro’s post did not touch the dispute that preceded the retirement. Ronaldo walked out of a Portugal training camp in Copenhagen in late September after a disagreement with national coach Jorge Jesus, who had benched him against Norway. Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking his word, served a one-month suspension and paid a €255 fine. He remained eligible to be selected.
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Jesus’s November Nations League squad is due to be named on Friday, with Portugal set to face Denmark in Braga on 14 November and Wales three days later. Ronaldo’s video, posted the day before, made his absence from the list a decision he had taken himself rather than one for Jesus.
Federation plans a tribute match
The Portuguese Football Federation called Ronaldo potentially “the greatest player of all time” and pledged a tribute match. Federation president Pedro Proença, quoted by A Bola, said the door stayed open for a return.
Ronaldo keeps his club career at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he sits on 985 career goals, 15 short of the 1,000-goal milestone he has publicly chased.
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