Cristiano Ronaldo has called time on his international career at 41, closing a 23-year chapter with Portugal that ends as the most decorated in men's international football. He bows out with 146 goals in 234 appearances — both world records — plus a European Championship title from 2016 and two Nations League trophies, the second won in 2025 when he scored in the final against Spain as the first player over 40 to do so. He'll keep playing club football for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, but the No. 7 Portugal shirt is now up for grabs.

The announcement, made via a farewell video in early November, came weeks after a messy public spat with national coach Jorge Jesus, who benched him for a Nations League match against Norway. Ronaldo left the camp in Copenhagen without permission, received a 30-day suspension and a 255-euro fine from the Portuguese federation, apologised — and then retired less than a month later. Not the cleanest ending, but the numbers speak for themselves: six Euros, six World Cups (he scored at all six, a first for any man), 14 career European Championship goals and 41 in World Cup qualifying.

For travellers, the story starts — and arguably belongs — on Madeira. Ronaldo was born in Funchal on February 5, 1985, and left the island at 12 to join Sporting CP's academy in Lisbon. Madeira has long leaned into its most famous son: the CR7 Museum in Funchal displays his trophy haul, and statues of the man dot the city. With his international career now formally over, expect renewed interest in football-themed trips to the island, especially from fans wanting to walk the streets where the story began.

Madeira is worth the trip for reasons beyond one footballer, too. It's a year-round Atlantic island with dramatic coastal cliffs, levada walking trails, the famous toboggan rides in Monte and a wine tradition all its own. Easy flight connections from Lisbon and several European cities make it a straightforward add-on to a Portugal itinerary — or a destination in itself.

If you're a football fan, pair a Madeira trip with a Sporting CP or Manchester United pilgrimage further along his career path, or simply time your visit around a Portugal home international in Lisbon to see the next No. 7 in the flesh. For everyone else, Ronaldo's retirement is a good excuse to revisit one of Europe's most rewarding island destinations before the crowds clock what his farewell means for Funchal's appeal.