With Lionel Messi calling time on his illustrious international career this week, it is only natural to wonder if a similar announcement could follow from his longtime individual rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on Monday, Aug. 31, ending an international career that spanned more than two decades.
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The 39-year-old is set to continue at the club level with Inter Miami, where he has a contract through 2028.
Ronaldo and Messi made history together this summer, becoming the first two men to play in six World Cups.
The pair have been linked throughout much of their careers, as they battled for individual supremacy as well as team honors with arch-rivals Real Madrid (Ronaldo) and Barcelona (Messi).
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal shows dejection after the team’s 0-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
(Lars Baron, Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal shows dejection after the team’s 0-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
(Lars Baron, Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo waves to fans after losing the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Portugal and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 6, 2026.
(THOMAS COEX, AFP via Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after losing the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Portugal and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 6, 2026.
(THOMAS COEX, AFP via Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain’s Lamine Yamal after the match.
(Maria Lysaker, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal shows dejection after the team’s 0-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
(Lars Baron, Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Pedro Porro #12 of Spain celebrates the 1-0 victory as Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
(Florencia Tan Jun, Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts.
(Jerome Miron, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal shoots and misses a chance against Marc Cucurella #23 of Spain during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
(Molly Darlington, Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action.
(Maria Lysaker, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action.
(Jerome Miron, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s forward #7 Cristiano Ronaldo kicks the ball and misses a chance past Spain’s defender #14 Aymeric Laporte during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Portugal and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 6, 2026.
(THOMAS COEX, AFP via Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Spain’s Pedri in action with Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
(Maria Lysaker, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo before the match.
(Maria Lysaker, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portuguese fans show a sign depicting Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Portugal and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 6, 2026.
(THOMAS COEX, AFP via Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo before the match.
(Maria Lysaker, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Captain Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal leads the team entering the pitch for the warm up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
(Florencia Tan Jun, Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo closes career as Spain defeats Portugal in World Cup
Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledges the crowd ahead of the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Portugal and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 6, 2026.
(RONALDO SCHEMIDT, AFP via Getty Images)
Now with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has hinted that he is nearing the end of his playing career — not just with Portugal.
In an interview published last month, the Portuguese superstar told Vogue “This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.”
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Ronaldo previously had said that the 2026 World Cup would be his last, but he has not yet retired from international duty. It appears that he could retire from both club and country simultaneously.
The 41-year-old has surpassed Messi at the international level by becoming the most-capped men’s player of all time (233) and the leading men’s international goal-scorer with 146. That includes three goals at the 2026 World Cup, as Portugal bowed out in the round of 16.
But Messi has one major prize which Ronaldo does not: a World Cup title, which he won in 2022.
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentine player Lionel Messi plays with a ball during a training session at Herzogs Park, Herzogenaurach on June 6, 2006, ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2006.
(DANIEL GARCIA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentine player Lionel Messi plays with a ball during a training session at Herzogs Park, Herzogenaurach on June 6, 2006, ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2006.
(DANIEL GARCIA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentine players Lionel Messi (R) and Fabricio Coloccini sign autographs for supporters during a training session at Herzogs Park, Herzogenaurach on June 6, 2006, ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2006.
(DANIEL GARCIA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentinian forward Lionel Messi blows a bubble ahead of the quarter-final World Cup football match between Germany and Argentina at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on June 30, 2006.
(DANIEL GARCIA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentina’s footballer Lionel Messi shows off during a training session at the field of the Union Atletica in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on June 30, 2007.
(ALEJANDRO PAGNI, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentina’s coach Diego Maradona hugs Argentina’s striker Lionel Messi after the 2010 World Cup quarter final Argentina vs Germany on July 3, 2010 at Green Point stadium in Cape Town. Germany won 4-0.
(JAVIER SORIANO, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentina’s forward and captain Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Group F football match between Argentina and Bosnia Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014.
(JUAN MABROMATA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
A fan tries to kiss the feet of Argentina’s Lionel Messi during the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier football match against Uruguay in Mendoza, Argentina, on Sept. 1, 2016.
(JUAN MABROMATA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi celebrates his goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group D football match between Nigeria and Argentina at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg on June 26, 2018.
(KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Nigeria and Argentina at Saint Petersburg Stadium on June 26, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
(Alex Livesey, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Brazil’s Neymar (L) and Argentina’s Lionel Messi talk before their South American qualification football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Neo Quimica Arena, also known as Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 5, 2021.
(NELSON ALMEIDA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Team Argentina with Lionel Messi (R) of Argentina sing their national anthem prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on Nov. 22, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.
(Matthias Hangst, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi of Argentina shows dejection during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on Nov. 22, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.
(Matthias Hangst, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi of Argentina is fouled by Wojciech Szczesny of Poland which leads to a penalty during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Poland and Argentina at Stadium 974 on Nov. 30, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
(Matthias Hangst, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi celebrates after he scores his team’s second goal from the penalty spot during the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarter-final football match between The Netherlands and Argentina at Lusail Stadium, north of Doha on Dec. 9, 2022.
(FRANCK FIFE, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Fans of Argentina hold a flag depicting Argentine football stars Lionel Messi (L) and late Diego Maradona (R) while gathering at the Obelisk to celebrate winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup against France in Buenos Aires, on Dec. 18, 2022.
(EMILIANO LASALVIA, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on Dec.18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.
(Richard Heathcote, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi kicks the ball during the Qatar 2022 World Cup final football match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha on Dec. 18, 2022.
(KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, AFP via Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi of Argentina scores the team’s third goal past Hugo Lloris of France during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.
(Julian Finney, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi of Argentina kisses the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy while holding the adidas Golden Boot award after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.
(Julian Finney, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi of Argentina lifts the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on Dec.18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar.
(Julian Finney, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Kansas City, Mo.
(Charlotte Wilson, Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi’s iconic moments with Argentina national team
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their second goal against Algeria on June 16, 2026 in Kansas City, Mo.
(Denny Medley, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Has Cristiano Ronaldo retired from international duty with Portugal?
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