Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday, November 5 announced his retirement from the national team with immediate effect.
This comes barely a month after he was suspended for a bust-up with manager Jorge Jesus during the last international break.
Announcing his retirement, the Al-Nassr captain admitted that it was not an easy decision to take as the mind alone cannot be left to take such delicate decisions.
“It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone,” he stated on Wednesday.
“They are also made with the heart. A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end.”
He expressed gratitude to his teammates of 23 years, coaches, masseurs, physiotherapists, kit mangers and, indeed, all backroom staff who made him shine in front of the cameras.
“To my teammates, I want to say something special. Thank you for every run, for every embrace, for every argument, for every silence before stepping onto the pitch, for every victory we celebrated together and every defeat that made us stronger.”
Ronaldo scored 146 times for Selecao das Quinas in his 234 appearances since the age of 18.
He holds the record of most goals scored in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, first male player to score 10 international hat-tricks, first player to score in six consecutive World Cups, most headed goals, among others.
“Over the years, I learned a few very simple things: goals fade, trophies end up in museums, records are eventually broken but there is something that time can never erase – the place we hold in people’s hearts.”
Cristiano Ronaldo was iconic for wearing the Portugal Number 7 shirt and with that he set many of his records.
“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt to the national team. I never felt it belonged to me alone. But, for 23 years, I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all over the world.”
