Cristiano Ronaldo's major milestones with Portugal's national team
Cristiano Ronaldo's journey with Portugal has come to an end.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, the 41-year-old forward announced Thursday he was done playing for the national team.
Here's a look at the defining milestones of Ronaldo's 23-year career with Portugal's national team.
Ronaldo's timeline with Portugal
Aug. 20, 2003: Made his Portugal debut as an 18-year-old in a 1-0 friendly win against Kazakhstan.
June 12, 2004: Scored his first international goal in a 2-1 loss against Greece in the opening match of the European Championship. The date also marked his first appearance at a major senior tournament.
June 17, 2006: Scored his first World Cup goal by converting a penalty kick in Portugal's 2-0 win over Iran in the tournament in Germany.
Feb. 6, 2007: Made his debut as Portugal captain in a friendly against Brazil.
Oct. 16, 2012: Earned his 100th cap with Portugal in a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifier.
Sept. 6, 2013: Scored his first international hat trick in a 4-2 win over Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifier.
March 5, 2014: Became Portugal's all-time leading scorer with a pair of goals against Cameroon in a 5-1 victory in a friendly. That took him to 49 goals, two more than Pauleta at the time.
June 18, 2016: Became Portugal's most-capped player with his 128th appearance in a match against Austria at Euro 2016, surpassing Luís Figo.
July 10, 2016: Won his first senior international title with the national team after a 1-0 extra-time win over France in the European Championship final. Ronaldo was replaced early in the game after getting injured.
June 15, 2018: Scored his first World Cup hat trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain in Portugal's opening match in Russia.
June 9, 2019: Helped Portugal win the inaugural Nations League with a 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final.
Sept. 8, 2020: Reached the mark of 100 international goals in a 2-0 win over Sweden in the Nations League. He also scored his 101st goal that day.
June 15, 2021: Became the outright leading scorer at Euros, passing Michel Platini's nine goals with a brace against Hungary.
Sept. 1, 2021: Broke the men's international scoring record, surpassing Ali Daei's 109 goals with two late goals in a 2-1 win over Ireland.
Nov. 24, 2022: Became the first man to score at five World Cups by converting a penalty kick against Ghana in a 3-2 win.
March 23, 2023: Became the most-capped men's international player with his 197th appearance against Liechtenstein, surpassing Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa.
June 20, 2023: Became the first man to earn 200 international appearances in a 1-0 victory at Iceland. He scored the winning goal.
June 18, 2024: Became the first player to appear at six European Championships, starting in Portugal's 2-1 win over the Czech Republic.
June 8, 2025: Helped Portugal win its second Nations League title by scoring in the 2-2 final against Spain. Portugal won 5-3 in a penalty shootout.
June 23, 2026: Became the first man to score at six World Cups after getting a brace against Uzbekistan in a 5-0 victory. On the same day he surpassed Eusébio as Portugal's leading World Cup scorer, reaching 10 goals.
Sept. 30, 2026: Left the national team camp after a disagreement with coach Jorge Jesus.
Oct. 19, 2026: The Portuguese federation announced a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine for Ronaldo for leaving the national team camp.
Nov. 5, 2026: Announced his international retirement after a career that included 234 appearances and 146 goals, which are men's world records.
Source: Associated Press
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