Ronaldo: I am comfortable .. and I retire from the World Cup.

The Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo announced that he will not return to participate in a seventh edition of the World Cup, following his country's exit from the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Spain.

Ronaldo confirmed that he played his last match in the World Cup after Portugal was eliminated by Spain in Dallas. He added in statements to "Sport TV" after the match: "I am fine, and I am sad to leave the World Cup this way. But, as I said yesterday in the press conference, I gave my best and I leave with a clear conscience."

The captain of the Portuguese national team explained in statements reported by the official website of FIFA: "This is the life of a football player. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose, and we have to move on. The truth is that this was my last World Cup, and now I will spend some time with my family so that I do not make decisions in a moment of emotion."

The Portuguese star continued: "I will wake up tomorrow with a clear conscience. I have achieved three titles for Portugal, which are the European Championship title and two titles in the UEFA Nations League. Before Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal had never won any titles at all. Therefore, I leave with a clear conscience after giving everything I have. Tomorrow will be a new day, and life goes on."

The 41-year-old player first participated in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, scoring his first goal in the tournament against Iran, and helped his country reach the semifinals for the first time in 40 years. He then continued to play and score in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Portuguese forward made history in his country's second match in the 2026 World Cup when he became the first player to score in six different World Cup editions, with his goal against Uzbekistan. Ronaldo has also played 27 matches in the World Cup, placing him second on the list of players with the most appearances in history, scoring 11 goals during his World Cup career.