He said that he would 'hand back the number 7 shirt' following the November international break, just a month after he fell out with national coach Jorge Jesus when he refused to use him in a Nations League match. Ronaldo immediately left the team camp and was suspended for 30 days.
"To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team," Ronaldo said in a video on his Instagram account.
"I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world," he continued.
"Today the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone - they are also made with the heart.
"A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end," he added.
Ronaldo has made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored 146 goals. His crowning triumph for his country came back in 2016, when he lifted their first international trophy at the European Championships. He also went on to win the Nations League twice (2019 & 2025).
He holds the all-time record for international appearances and for international goals.
"Today I finish my walk on the pitch with the national team. I leave with my head held high, with pride in the path I took, and with the awareness that I gave everything I had for Portugal," he said.
"The goals pass, the cups are in museums, the records end up being beaten. But there is something that time can never erase, the place we occupy in people’s hearts.
"I spent my life working to be the best player in the world. Today I realise that the greatest victory was to have deserved to represent the best country in the world.
"Thank you for these 23 years. Thank you for having believed in me.
"Portugal will always be in me. Forever."