It's the end of an era: Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese soccer star, announced his decision to retire from the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo, who will turn 42 next year, is considered one of the best players in the history of the sport, and announced his retirement from international soccer after 23 years representing Portugal, winning Euro 2016 and two editions of the UEFA Nations League. Cristiano followed the decision of his long-time rival Lionel Messi, who retired from the Argentine national team last month.
Over his career with Portugal, he scored 146 goals in 234 games. Portugal estará sempre em mim pic.twitter.com/dnFj51rxmh Ronaldo's decision follows a rift with the current head coach Jorge Jesus. Last month, the striker left Portugal's training camp aboard his private jet following a disagreement with the coach, followed by an open letter and apologies to the fans and the team where he explained his decision, without mentioning the manager.
The Portuguese federation later suspended the player for 30 days but he was eligible to be called for the upcoming games against Denmark and Wales. Ronaldo posted a video message on his social media announcing his decision to retire from the national team: "To the Portuguese people, the day has come to hand back the number seven shirt of the national team that belongs to us all. I never felt it was exclusively mine.
But for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and taking it with me to stadiums all over the world. Today the time has come to hand it over to the future. It was not an easy decision, because there are decisions that are not made solely with the head; they are also made with the heart." The five-time Ballon d'Or winner played his sixth and last World Cup this summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico, when Portugal were eliminated by Spain in the round of 16 of the tournament.
"A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever is coming to an end. When I look back and think of everything I've experienced with the national team, I don't just see matches, goals, records or trophies. I see immigrants who, for 90 minutes, felt Portugal was a little bit closer.
I see millions of Portuguese people whom I've never met in person, but who have been part of my life. Because, at the end of the day, football is so much more than just a game. Football is about the people.
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