Ronaldo had reached 900 career goals with his 131st international strike in Thursday's victory over Croatia.
If there is one thing that Cristiano Ronaldo could not master in his illustrious career, it is the concept of giving up.
Ronaldo, 39, turned in a Nuno Mendes cross in the 34th minute of the match at the Estadio da Luz to reach the landmark.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said on Wednesday that he understands the criticism levelled against his side after Euro 2024, as high expectations are to be expected due to their talented squad.
"I would like to thank you all," said the centre-back as he cited the clubs he represented, as well as the Portuguese national team and his family.
Portugal will remember the Euro 2024 as another golden opportunity squandered to get silverware with arguably one of the most talented bunch of footballers, but for their captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, the tournament will remain as a case of whether the 39-year-old forward has stretched his international career one tournament too long.
France coach Didier Deschamps savoured seeing his side win a penalty shoot-out for the first time since the 1998 World Cup as they beat Portugal in Friday's Euro 2024 quarterfinal after another difficult night for star man Kylian Mbappe.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said there was no blame to cast after Joao Felix missed the penalty that resulted in their exit from the European Championship and likely brought the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo's international career.
France and Portugal renew their European Championship rivalry on Friday night in a quarterfinal showdown in which almost all of the focus will be on the two captains, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It’s certainly my last Euro,” said the 39-year-old, who is competing at his sixth Euro and 11th major international tournament overall, said after the match in Frankfurt.
After a goalless draw over 120 minutes of the last 16 clash in Frankfurt, Porto goalkeeper Costa produced three saves to thwart Slovenia's three takers as his team claimed a 3-0 shoot-out win.
The Georgian capital Tbilisi erupted in celebration on Wednesday after the national side completed a stunning victory over Portugal that propelled them into the last 16 of the European Championship in Germany.
Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time top scorer with 130 goals in a record 208 international appearances and is playing at his sixth European Championship at the age of 39.
Youngster Francisco Conceicao snatched Portugal a last-gasp 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in their Euro 2024 Group F opener on Tuesday just minutes after coming off the bench.
The veteran forward, 39, says his team "deserve" to win another major international trophy to add to their singular triumph, at Euro 2016.
"The Portuguese expect a lot from Portugal, there's no margin for error, none, they always want Portugal to win because of the generation, the talent there is," said Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, the leading scorer in men's international football with 128 goals in 204 official matches, will be playing in his sixth Euros, having reached the final on his tournament debut in 2004 and winning the competition in 2016.
"Cristiano had very consistent performances at his club. There is no doubt that he is an incredible scorer," Martinez told reporters on Friday ahead of their friendly match against Croatia on Saturday.
Almost 20 years have passed between his first Portugal goal against Greece at Euro 2004 and his most recent versus Lichtenstein in November 2023 -- with the nation's 2016 Euros triumph the pinnacle of his international career.