The Most Memorable Moments of Cristiano Ronaldo’s International Career

It’s the end of an era, as Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international soccer on Thursday.

The last time we will see the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and first man to score at six World Cup finals in a Portugal shirt already has been and gone—without the build-up and fanfare his eternal rival Lionel Messi was afforded.

Acrimony marked the final months of a 23-year career and, in the end, Ronaldo’s final appearance for Portugal came with a listless display in the modest surroundings of a Nations League clash with Wales back in September. His last-ever goal? The penalty scored against Croatia in last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

The Portuguese FA have promised a “fitting tribute” to Ronaldo in due course, but for now that’s it and all that’s left are the memories.

It can be hard to know what to think of Ronaldo these days. He is a behemoth whose importance off the field has overtaken that on it in recent years. Instagram’s most followed person first, actual goal threat second. But for all his flaws, tantrums and lack of pressing, his legacy as a giant of the game is undeniable. He leaves the stage as Portugal’s greatest ever player and, unquestionably, one of international soccer’s finest too.

Here’s a look back at some of the key milestones in a truly remarkable international career.

Ronaldo’s senior debut came off the bench in a friendly win over Kazakhstan back in 2003. However, it was the following summer where he would really announce himself at the 2004 European Championships in his native Portugal.

Fresh from his first season at Manchester United, the 19-year-old Ronaldo—all step-overs, blonde highlights and original teeth—bagged his first national team goal with a late header in the tournament opener—a 2–1 defeat to Greece—and ended the summer in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament, having scored twice and assisted as many on the way to the final.

Two years later, Ronaldo made his World Cup bow as Portugal made it to the semifinal in Germany.

Though he scored just once and recorded no assists in six games that summer, his displays for a robust Portugal side under Luiz Felipe Scolari helped cement Ronaldo as more than just a show-pony winger.

The most memorable moment of his tournament came in the quarterfinal win over England when he urged the referee to send off his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho, before firing a wink at the bench after the red card was produced.

While Rooney and Ronaldo quickly made up back at United, the incident helped ascend the young forward to a new level of notoriety and made him the Villain No. 1 for the British tabloid press.

Portugal’s World Cup qualification playoff against Sweden in late 2013 was billed as Ronaldo vs. Zlatan Ibrahimović and boy did it deliver.

Ronaldo scored the only goal of the first leg at home before a showdown for the ages in Stockholm.

Portugal’s No. 7 opened the scoring, before Zlatan Ibrahimovic brought the aggregate score level in with a fine double.

With the game on a knife-edge and the two superstars duking it out, it was Ronaldo—at the very peak of his considerable powers—who confirmed his side’s spot at the 2014 tournament by completing his hat trick with a late two-minute double.

It was a performance that effectively sealed the 2013 Ballon d’Or.

A brace against Cameroon in a 5–1 friendly victory in 2014 seems all very run of the mill, except that it took Ronaldo to 49 goals for Portugal, two clear of the country’s previous leading men’s goalscorer Pauleta.

“I do not look to beat records,” Ronaldo lied after the win.

Just to rub it in, Ronaldo has ended his career with 146 Portugal goals—99 goals clear of Pauleta—a tally that will take some beating for any future superstars who may or may not care about records.

Euro 2016 was a hugely significant one for Ronaldo. The forward became Portugal's most-capped player with his 128th appearance in a group-stage match against Austria—surpassing the great Luís Figo.

Things only got better as Portugal, who drew all three of their group stage matches and qualified only as one of the best third-placed teams, went on to win the tournament, beating France 1–0 in the Paris final.

Ronaldo famously spent most of the final prowling the touchline like a self-appointed manager/caged panther, having been subbed off with injury in the first half.

Still, he got to lift the trophy—his first after seven attempts with the national team—and was named in the Team of the Tournament for the second time. He also took home the Silver Boot.

Ronaldo, sporting an unfamiliar goatee beard, opened Portugal’s World Cup 2018 campaign with a sensational hat trick in a 3–3 draw with Spain in Sochi, Russia.

After opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the first five minutes, Ronaldo salvaged a point in a breathless game with one of the sweeter free kicks you are ever likely to see just two minutes from the final whistle.

Portugal carved out a little piece of history by becoming the first ever victors in the UEFA Nations League back in 2019, with Ronaldo leading the charge.

He scored a hat trick in the semifinal win over Switzerland, which was enough to see him crowned top scorer, with Portugal going on to defeat the Netherlands 1–0 in the final.

A target in his sights for some years, Ronaldo finally knocked Iran legend Ali Daei off the top of the leading men’s international goalscorers list in 2021.

Two headers in a World Cup qualifying win over the Republic of Ireland took Ronaldo up to 111 goals, two clear of Daei.

It was a big year for Ronaldo milestones, as the forward’s treble against Luxembourg made him the first player to score 10 hat tricks in men's international soccer.

He also top-scored at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament with five goals, despite playing just four games—making him the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 14.

By his 2026 retirement, Ronaldo finished on 146 goals in 234 caps—with Daei and Messi the only other players to top 100 to date.

In 2025, with questions hanging over his relevance in a new-look Portugal team, a 40-year-old Ronaldo came up clutch at the 2025 Nations League, captaining his side to a penalty shootout victory over European champions Spain in the final.

While the 2026 World Cup became all about Messi and Kylian Mbappé’s ongoing battle to see who would end up as the tournament’s all-time top scorer, Ronaldo achieved a piece of history as the first man to strike in six separate tournaments.

His three goals in North America saw him surpass Eusébio as Portugal's leading scorer at the tournament, while he also ended his World Cup knockout hoodoo by netting from the penalty spot in the last 32 win over Croatia.

The enduring Ronaldo memory from his final tournament is perhaps the aged striker screaming “I’m back” at the TV cameras after bagging a brace against Uzbekistan. He would retire just over four months later.