Cristiano Ronaldo retires from the Portugal national team The 41-year-old forward announced his retirement from the national team by posting a video message on social media. Ronaldo first played for the Portugal national team in 2003. The forward played 234 games in the national team, in which he scored 146 goals - this is an absolute world record among national team players. As part of the national team, he became the winner of Euro 2016 and a two-time winner of the UEFA Nations League.