15 defining moments of Ronaldo’s Portugal career: from Euro 2004 tears to a clash with Jesus

23 years, 234 appearances, 146 goals and three trophies. Cristiano Ronaldo has officially announced his retirement from international football with Portugal. We look back at the brightest moments of his international career — from the triumph at Euro 2016 and incredible records to conflicts, painful defeats and a controversial farewell to the national team.

On November 5, 2026, one of the longest and most remarkable stories in international football came to an end. Forty-one-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo announced that he would no longer play for Portugal, whose colors he had defended since August 2003.

Symbolically, the finale turned out nothing like anyone might have expected. Ninety minutes on the bench, a conflict with head coach Jorge Jesus, an unauthorized departure from the national team and disciplinary punishment.

Still, Ronaldo’s story in the Portugal shirt cannot be reduced to its controversial ending. Over those 23 years, there was everything: the tears of a 19-year-old boy, scandals involving club teammates, humiliating defeats, incredible goals, historic victories and the gradual realization that even the greatest legends eventually have to make way for others.

Here are 15 episodes without which Cristiano Ronaldo’s story with Portugal would have been completely different.

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1. Euro 2004. His first goal, a penalty conceded to the opponents and tears in the final

Ronaldo’s international career began on August 20, 2003. The 18-year-old Manchester United winger made his debut in a friendly against Kazakhstan, coming on after the break for Rui Costa.

The following summer, he found himself at the center of the entire country’s attention. Portugal hosted the European Championship, while the young Cristiano played alongside Luís Figo, Deco and other stars of the national team.

The opening match against Greece became a true emotional roller coaster for him. Ronaldo came off the bench, gave away a penalty with a careless foul, and late in the game scored his first goal at the Euros. Portugal, however, lost 1-2.

Later, Cristiano scored an important goal in the semifinal against the Netherlands (2-1), sending Portugal into the decisive match. It seemed the perfect ending was being written — a home title for a new generation.

But Greece won the final again — 1-0.

Nineteen-year-old Ronaldo cried on the pitch at Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz as coach Luiz Felipe Scolari tried to comfort him.

At the time, Cristiano did not know that he would have to wait 12 years for his next European Championship final — and that it would end in tears again, only for a very different reason.

2. World Cup 2006. Rooney’s red card, the famous wink and the hatred of English fans

The 2006 World Cup was the first of Ronaldo’s career. Portugal reached the semifinals, but one of the tournament’s most memorable episodes had nothing to do with his goals.

In the quarterfinal against England, Wayne Rooney stepped on Ricardo Carvalho. Ronaldo ran over to the referee and demanded punishment for his opponent, who was also his Manchester United teammate.

Rooney shoved Cristiano and was soon shown a red card. Television cameras captured the Portuguese player winking toward his own bench afterward.

That gesture sparked a huge scandal in England. Ronaldo was accused of provoking the opposition and betraying his club teammate, although the foul itself gave the referee grounds for a sending-off regardless of Cristiano’s behavior.

The match ended goalless, and Ronaldo converted the decisive penalty in the shootout as Portugal won 3-1.

In the semifinal, Portugal were stopped by France thanks to a Zinedine Zidane penalty. The team eventually finished fourth.

For Cristiano himself, that tournament became a lesson: in football, you can be a national hero in one country and one of the most hated players in another at the same time.

3. World Cup 2010. “Ask Queiroz”: the first major controversy surrounding the captain

Ronaldo arrived at the World Cup in South Africa as captain and one of the best footballers on the planet. The tournament itself, however, proved disappointing.

In four matches, he scored only once — in Portugal’s 7-0 demolition of North Korea. In the round of 16, Portugal lost 0-1 to eventual champions Spain.

After the final whistle, an angry Ronaldo spat toward a television camera that followed him toward the dressing room. When journalists asked him to explain the defeat, he replied briefly:

“Ask Queiroz.”

The words were interpreted as a public attack on the head coach.

Ronaldo later explained that he had not intended to shift the blame onto his manager and simply did not want to discuss the defeat while in an extremely emotional state.

Still, the episode revealed one of Cristiano’s defining traits: he reacted to failure with extraordinary pain, and his emotions did not always match what was expected from a national-team captain.

Sixteen years later, that same trait would play a major role in the conflict that preceded the end of his international career.

4. Euro 2012. Ronaldo was saved for the crucial penalty — but never got to take it

At Euro 2012, Portugal once again came close to reaching the final.

Ronaldo scored twice against the Netherlands, netted the winning goal against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal and became one of the team’s main heroes.

In the semifinal, Portugal faced Spain — the reigning world and European champions.

After 120 goalless minutes, the final place was decided by a penalty shootout. Cristiano, his team’s top scorer, was scheduled to take the fifth kick.

The decision proved fatal.

João Moutinho missed Portugal’s first attempt, Bruno Alves hit the crossbar with the fourth, and Cesc Fàbregas scored Spain’s decisive penalty. Ronaldo remained standing in the center circle, never getting the chance to take his shot.

It was particularly bizarre that Bruno Alves initially stepped up to take the third penalty, only for Nani to send him back after reminding him of the designated order.

Portugal lost 2-4, and fierce debate erupted over the decision to save Ronaldo for the final kick.

It was one of the most painful paradoxes of his career: a footballer accustomed to taking responsibility in decisive moments was never given the opportunity.

5. The 2013 showdown with Ibrahimović and the 2014 World Cup failure

In November 2013, the football world witnessed a clash that looked more like a personal duel between two superstars.

In the World Cup qualifying playoff, Portugal faced Zlatan Ibrahimović’s Sweden. A place at the World Cup in Brazil was at stake.

Portugal won the first leg 1-0 through a Ronaldo goal. In the return match, Sweden attempted a comeback: Ibrahimović scored twice, but Cristiano responded with a hat-trick.

All four of Portugal’s goals across the tie were scored by one player — Ronaldo.

After such a performance, it seemed certain that he would be one of the stars of the World Cup. In reality, the opposite happened.

Ronaldo arrived at the 2014 tournament with knee and thigh problems. Portugal opened with a disastrous 0-4 defeat by Germany, drew 2-2 with the United States and then beat Ghana 2-1 — not enough to escape the group.

Ronaldo scored just once, although his goal secured the victory over Ghana.

The player who had virtually carried Portugal to the World Cup could not save them from an early exit.

6. Euro 2016. Criticism of Iceland, a missed penalty and an incredible rescue against Hungary

Even the eventually triumphant Euro 2016 began with controversy and disappointment for Ronaldo.

Portugal drew 1-1 with tournament debutants Iceland, after which Cristiano criticized the opponents for their overly defensive football and called their behavior a sign of a “small mentality.”

In the next match against Austria, he missed a penalty, striking the post. The result was another 0-0 draw.

Before the final group-stage round, Portugal risked an early elimination. Against Hungary, they found themselves behind three times.

That was when Ronaldo finally produced his best football.

First, he assisted Nani, then equalized with a spectacular backheel, and later scored again with a header.

The 3-3 draw sent Portugal into the playoffs in third place.

That match proved decisive. After two poor performances, Ronaldo effectively rescued his team from elimination. Portugal then overcame Croatia, Poland and Wales, while Cristiano also scored in the semifinal.

No one could have predicted how dramatic the most important match of his life would be.

7. The Euro 2016 final. Tears, injury and the role of an assistant coach

On July 10, 2016, Portugal faced France in the Euro 2016 final.

For Ronaldo, it was a chance to finally close the painful chapter of Euro 2004. But early in the game, after a collision with Dimitri Payet, he injured his knee.

Cristiano tried to continue, but was forced off in the 25th minute. Once again, he cried in a European Championship final.

But Ronaldo did not become a passive spectator.

Back on the bench, he actively instructed the players, gestured constantly and effectively turned into Fernando Santos’s assistant on the touchline.

The most fascinating detail emerged after the final. Éder, the match-winner, revealed that Ronaldo had told him before he came on that he would score the decisive goal.

In the 109th minute, Éder fired a powerful shot from outside the box to give Portugal a 1-0 victory.

Twelve years after the tears in Lisbon, Ronaldo finally lifted the European Championship trophy.

The irony was that he won the biggest trophy of his international career in a match in which he played only 25 minutes.

8. World Cup 2018. A hat-trick against Spain and one of the best free kicks of his career

On June 15, 2018, Ronaldo produced the most spectacular individual performance of all his World Cup appearances.

In the opening group-stage match, Portugal faced Spain. Cristiano opened the scoring from a controversial penalty in the fourth minute and doubled the lead late in the first half.

Spain fought back and went ahead 3-2.

In the 88th minute, Ronaldo won a free kick near the edge of the penalty area. He performed his trademark routine: placed the ball, stepped back, spread his legs wide and fixed his gaze on the goal.

The next moment, the ball flew into the top corner of David de Gea’s net.

3-3. A hat-trick. One of the most famous goals in modern World Cup history.

Ronaldo did not shine in the remaining matches, however. Portugal eventually lost 1-2 to Uruguay in the round of 16.

9. Nations League 2019. A hat-trick against Switzerland and a second international trophy

After triumphing at Euro 2016, Portugal gradually learned how to win international tournaments. The next success came in the inaugural Nations League.

In the semifinal against Switzerland, Ronaldo once again took center stage.

He opened the scoring with a free kick and, with the match level at 1-1 late on, scored twice more. Cristiano’s second and third goals came in the 88th and 90th minutes.

Portugal won 3-1, and Ronaldo once again showed his ability to decide matches at the most crucial moment.

In the final, Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1-0 thanks to Gonçalo Guedes’s goal.

Ronaldo had won his second international trophy, while Portugal confirmed its status as a team capable not merely of producing surprises, but of regularly fighting for titles.

10. 2021–2023. Ali Daei’s record, 200 appearances and seemingly endless goals

At a certain point, Ronaldo’s international career became an endless chase for records.

At Euro 2020, held in 2021 because of the pandemic, he scored five goals and finished as the tournament’s top scorer on tiebreakers, sharing first place in the scoring chart with Patrik Schick.

But the truly historic night came on September 1, 2021.

In a World Cup qualifier against Ireland, Ronaldo initially missed a penalty. Portugal trailed 0-1 almost until the final whistle.

In the 89th minute, Cristiano equalized with a header, then scored the winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time — 2-1.

Those goals were his 110th and 111th for Portugal. Ronaldo broke the world record held by Iran’s Ali Daei, who had scored 109 international goals in men’s football.

By then, it seemed that few records remained in international football for Ronaldo to break.

At the same time, another question was being asked more frequently: are individual achievements enough if the team does not win major tournaments?

11. World Cup 2022. The clash with Santos, his replacement’s hat-trick and tears after Morocco

The World Cup in Qatar marked the beginning of the most controversial period of Ronaldo’s national-team career.

Cristiano started the tournament in the first team and scored a penalty against Ghana (3-2), becoming the first player to score at five different World Cups.

However, his individual performances then deteriorated.

After the group-stage match against South Korea, head coach Fernando Santos publicly criticized Ronaldo’s reaction to being substituted.

Then, in the round of 16 against Switzerland, the coach made a sensational decision — he left the captain on the bench.

Replacing Ronaldo in the starting lineup was 21-year-old Gonçalo Ramos. He did what could hardly have been more painful for Cristiano: scored a hat-trick in his first start for Portugal.

Portugal demolished Switzerland 6-1.

The match became a symbol of a changing of the guard. For the first time in many years, there was a convincing argument that the national team could be more effective without its most famous player on the pitch.

Against Morocco in the quarterfinal, Ronaldo again began among the substitutes. He came on in the second half but could not save Portugal from a 0-1 defeat.

After the final whistle, Cristiano headed toward the tunnel, unable to hold back his tears.

Many believed that was his final match for Portugal. Ronaldo, however, chose to return.

12. Euro 2024. No goals, a missed penalty and tears in the middle of the match

If the 2022 World Cup was the first serious sign that Ronaldo’s era with Portugal was ending, Euro 2024 intensified the debate over his place in the team.

New coach Roberto Martínez continued to place unquestioning faith in Cristiano. The forward started all five of Portugal’s matches at the tournament.

But for the first time in his career, he finished a European Championship without a single goal from open play.

The most dramatic episode came in the round of 16 against Slovenia. Ronaldo had already squandered several excellent chances.

At 0-0 in extra time, Cristiano was given the chance to take a penalty. However, Jan Oblak saved his shot.

After the first period of extra time, the cameras showed Cristiano crying as his teammates tried to comfort him.

Ronaldo’s comment on the incident was particularly controversial and led to accusations of selfishness:

"I cried the day I missed the penalty... when I cried, it's not because I felt that if I don't score Portugal will be eliminated, and the world will collapse on me. It's not because of that.

I didn't even think about [Portugal losing]. People, they don't know me. Imagine that the last 27 penalties, you score. And in that period, you feel bad for yourself."

Ronaldo recovered and converted his attempt in the shootout. But the hero was not him — it was goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who saved all three of Slovenia’s penalties.

Portugal lost to France in the quarterfinal shootout after a goalless draw.

Ronaldo left the tournament with an assist but without a single goal.

The player who had rescued Portugal for years was increasingly becoming a target for criticism.

13. Nations League 2025. One final triumph and victory over Spain

In the 2024/25 Nations League, it felt as though Ronaldo was beginning to rebuild his reputation.

In the Nations League semifinal against Germany, Portugal trailed 0-1 but fought back. In the 68th minute, Ronaldo scored the winning goal — 2-1.

It was Cristiano’s first victory over Germany at senior international level.

In the final against Spain, Portugal twice fell behind. Once again, their captain played the decisive role.

In the 61st minute, the 40-year-old forward scored a goal that set the final score in regular time at 2-2.

Ronaldo was substituted before extra time, and his teammates won the shootout 5-3. When Rúben Neves converted the final attempt, Cristiano dropped to the turf and cried with joy.

Portugal became the first national team to win the Nations League twice.

The trophy was the third and final one of Ronaldo’s international career.

14. World Cup 2026. “I'm back,” his first knockout-stage goal and one final failure

Despite countless discussions about retirement, Ronaldo still traveled to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

For the 41-year-old Portuguese, it was his sixth World Cup — an unprecedented achievement.

In the group-stage match against Uzbekistan, he scored twice to help Portugal win 5-0. Cristiano became the first player to score at six different World Cups. His cry after the match was especially memorable:

“I'm back, I'm back!”.

Another historic moment came in the round of 32 against Croatia.

In the 68th minute, Ronaldo converted a penalty and scored in a World Cup knockout match for the first time in his career. Before that, all his World Cup goals had come in the group stage.

Portugal won 2-1 thanks to a late Gonçalo Ramos goal, but in the next round lost 0-1 to Spain.

That brought Ronaldo’s final World Cup to an end. And once again, there were tears — just as in 2022.

The main objective once again remained out of reach. His performance was criticized, with particular emphasis on Martínez’s failure to give Gonçalo Ramos, who looked more effective, enough playing time.

Across six World Cups, 27 matches and 11 goals, Cristiano never reached a World Cup final. His best result remained the fourth-place finish in 2006.

In 2022, Portugal ended their campaign in the quarterfinals; in 2024, they suffered the same fate at the Euros; and in 2026, they were eliminated in the World Cup round of 16.

Portugal’s last three major tournaments all ended in disappointment.

After the defeat to Spain, Ronaldo confirmed that he would no longer play at World Cups. However, he was not yet ready to say goodbye to the national team altogether.

15. Autumn 2026. The clash with Jorge Jesus, the walkout and the farewell

The final chapter of Ronaldo’s international career proved so controversial that only a few months earlier it would have been difficult to imagine.

After the disappointing World Cup, Portugal appointed Jorge Jesus, who had previously coached Cristiano at Saudi club Al-Nassr.

On September 24, Ronaldo started against Wales in the Nations League. It was his 234th appearance for Portugal.

Portugal won 1-0, but Cristiano again failed to score. He missed several chances, one of his goals was ruled out after a VAR review, and the coach substituted the captain in the 67th minute.

Three days later, Jesus left Ronaldo on the bench against Norway.

Cristiano warmed up and prepared to come on, but never received a single minute. Portugal won 2-1, while the frustrated captain went straight to the dressing room after the match instead of joining his teammates in thanking the supporters.

For the first time in 18 years, Ronaldo spent an entire competitive international match on the bench without being injured or suspended.

The real scandal erupted after Jesus indicated that Cristiano would not start the next match against Denmark either.

On September 30, the forward left Portugal’s camp in Copenhagen without permission.

Ronaldo later published a lengthy statement accusing the coach of breaking their agreement.

According to Cristiano, the coach had promised to bring him on for the final 30 minutes against Norway but failed to keep his word. Ronaldo later issued Jesus a written, eight-point ultimatum demanding a public apology — but Jesus refused:

“What did you say? Wait a minute. What did you say? Apologize? To whom am I apologizing? What did I do to have to apologize?” — Jesus responded sharply when asked about an apology at a press conference

It is particularly telling that, at the beginning of October, Ronaldo was still not planning to retire from international football. He apologized to his teammates and supporters, acknowledged that his walkout had been wrong and said he was ready to return after serving a possible punishment.

On October 19, the Portuguese Football Federation suspended Cristiano for 30 days and fined him €255.

And then, on November 5, Ronaldo announced the definitive end of his international career.

In his farewell statement, he stressed that the decision had not been easy and that the number-seven shirt had never belonged only to him — it represented a responsibility to the entire country.

The symbolism of the final weeks is impossible to ignore.

The player who had been the undisputed leader of Portugal for two decades ended his journey after a situation in which he could no longer even guarantee himself an appearance from the bench.

A great career with an imperfect ending

Ronaldo leaves Portugal as the absolute record-holder in international football for appearances and goals — 234 matches and 146 goals.

His collection contains three trophies: one major title — Euro 2016 — as well as victories in the Nations League in 2019 and 2025.

But Ronaldo’s importance to Portuguese football cannot be measured by statistics alone.

He made his debut in a team whose biggest star was Luís Figo. He won the Euros alongside Pepe and Nani. He ended his career in a squad where Vitinha, João Neves, Nuno Mendes and Gonçalo Ramos had already assumed decisive roles.

During that time, Portugal evolved from a talented team that often faltered at major tournaments into a side capable of winning international trophies.

Of course, Ronaldo was not always a flawless leader. His ego, reactions to substitutions, conflicts and refusal to accept a secondary role repeatedly became problems. The final scandal with Jesus only highlighted those contradictions.

That inability to calmly accept defeat helped make him the Ronaldo known throughout the football world. Yet it also hindered him during the final stage of his international career.

He did not win the World Cup and left the national team not at his peak, but after one of the most controversial periods of his international career. That will be remembered.

But people will also remember how the boy who cried after the Euro 2004 final returned 12 years later and lifted the trophy an entire country had dreamed of.

And that is the image that will remain from his 23-year story with Portugal.