Ronaldo leaves Portugal: the promised tribute, succession begins

Portugal is entering a new chapter without Cristiano Ronaldo. On 5 November 2026, the forward announced the end of his international career; on Friday 6 November, Jorge Jesus named a 28-man squad for the final two fixtures of the Nations League group stage, without his former captain. The Portuguese Football Federation has promised a tribute, but neither its date nor Ronaldo’s participation in a ceremony or possible farewell match has been confirmed. The sporting break is official; its symbolic form remains open.

Retirement announced before the squad

Ronaldo made his decision public in a video released on Thursday 5 November, the day before the squad announcement. His record for the national team stands at 234 appearances and 146 goals, both men’s world records, according to UEFA and the Associated Press. The European governing body also notes that he is the first player to have scored at six World Cups; FIFA points out that his international career includes Euro 2016 and the Nations League titles won in 2019 and 2025.

This departure applies only to Portugal. Ronaldo continues his club career at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, the AP reports. International retirement should therefore not be confused with the end of his professional career.

An announcement that changes the picture in Oeiras

The timing gives the decision immediate significance. Jorge Jesus was due to announce his squad on Friday for the matches against Denmark, on 14 November in Braga, and Wales, on 17 November in Cardiff. According to the AP and Reuters, the manager said he had planned to call up Ronaldo and had not anticipated his retirement. The player was not included in the squad unveiled on 6 November.

The context of the split is known, but responsibility for it remains disputed. In September, Ronaldo left the squad after being left on the bench against Norway and learning that he would not start the next match. He subsequently explained his side of the disagreement with Jesus publicly. The manager, for his part, says he made his decisions in the team’s best interests and has said he bears no resentment. These statements, reported by Reuters and the AP, do not in themselves allow the departure to be attributed to a single cause.

A handover without an announced ceremony

Federation president Pedro Proença said he wanted to organise a tribute worthy of Ronaldo’s career. Reuters reports, however, that no details have been given about the format and that it is not known whether the player would accept a possible farewell appearance. The federation’s promise is real; a celebration match, a date or a final call-up are not confirmed.

This matters because Ronaldo’s last match in a Portugal shirt was on 24 September, against Wales, according to the AP. He did not leave the national team as part of a planned ceremony: his retirement announcement came shortly before the new squad was named, and his last appearance is now known in retrospect to have been his final one. Portugal will have to decide whether to give this end of an era a public setting without suggesting that a return to the pitch is guaranteed.

A squad to look beyond the number 7

The squad announced on 6 November contains 28 players and includes seven new names compared with the previous squad, five of them from the under-21s, Reuters reports. The new faces mentioned by Portuguese media include Alberto Costa, Gustavo Varela, Rodrigo Mora and Geovany Quenda. The squad also retains senior players such as Rúben Dias, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha and João Félix, according to the list published by A Bola.

It would be premature to see this as an entirely new tactical plan. A larger squad and the inclusion of young players give the manager options, but do not yet show who will replace Ronaldo as a goalscorer, captain or reference point in high-pressure moments. Succession is not simply a matter of handing out a shirt number: it involves redistributing responsibilities and, potentially, changing the balance of the attack. The November matches will offer an early glimpse, not a definitive verdict.

The football goes on; the tribute can wait

Portugal have already secured qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals, according to the AP. The next two matches will therefore matter for the standings and preparation, but they will also be played in the shadow of an absence that Jorge Jesus’s press conference could not avoid. The manager said he respected Ronaldo’s decision; the federation president, meanwhile, emphasised the recognition owed to his legacy. Neither has announced any subsequent contact between the player and the coaching staff since his decision.

There are two things to watch next: how Jesus distributes responsibilities within his squad, and the practical details of the tribute promised by the FPF. Until these are confirmed, it is important to distinguish what is certain — Ronaldo is not in the squad announced on 6 November and has announced his international retirement — from what is not yet certain: a specific ceremony, a date or a final appearance in a Portugal shirt.