The Portuguese Football Federation has set aside room 201 at Cidade do Futebol, the senior squad’s training base outside Lisbon, so that no player will be assigned it after Cristiano Ronaldo’s international retirement.
The announcement came from FPF spokesman Ricardo Quaresma.
“We have decided to reserve Cristiano Ronaldo’s room, number 201, at Portugal’s national team camps,” Quaresma said, adding that further tributes are planned but not yet ready to be disclosed.
Ronaldo announced his international retirement on Thursday, 5 November, in a video message handing back the number seven shirt after 23 years with the senior side. He leaves as the leading scorer in the history of men’s international football with 146 goals in 234 appearances, and as the Portugal captain who lifted Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
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“To the Portuguese people, the day has come to hand back the number seven shirt of the national team that belongs to us all,” the 41-year-old said in the video.
The row with Jorge Jesus
The retirement came after a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus, appointed by the FPF after Portugal’s 2026 World Cup exit. Ronaldo walked out of the team’s training base in Denmark during the previous international window, triggering a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine. Jesus, who previously managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, has acknowledged the conflict and told reporters he “asked him to stay on with me,” but mediation attempts by FPF president Pedro Proença did not resolve the stand-off.
A formal tribute from the federation
On the day of the retirement, the FPF released a formal tribute.
“It is with a sense of deep gratitude and immense admiration that the Portuguese Football Federation publicly pays tribute to and thanks Cristiano Ronaldo for his absolutely extraordinary career,” the statement read, adding that “for many of us, he is the greatest player of all time.”
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The federation also urged him on toward 1,000 career goals; he currently stands on 985.
A formal farewell event is being planned, beIN Sports reported, though no date, venue or format has been made public. Ronaldo is expected to see out the season at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Room 201 was left unoccupied at Cidade do Futebol this week as Portugal gathered for Saturday’s Nations League tie against Denmark in Braga, followed by a trip to Cardiff to face Wales on 17 November.
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