Cristiano Ronaldo ends his Portugal career

Cristiano Ronaldo is bringing his Portugal career to an end after 234 caps and 146 goals. He has announced that he will no longer play for the national team. Ronaldo’s most recent outing for Portugal was the Nations League match against Wales on 24 September, which Portugal won 1-0.

The end of his international journey follows a career spanning more than two decades, which began before Euro 2004. It included six World Cups, a European title and the men’s international goals record, according to The Guardian. At Euro 2016, Ronaldo kissed the trophy after Portugal beat France in the final.

Ronaldo is expected to continue playing at club level. He is expected to remain with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia until the end of the season, where he could finish his club career. That remains an expectation, while his departure from the national team has been announced as settled.

In a video message on social media, Ronaldo addressed the Portuguese public: “The day has come for me to hand back the No 7 shirt of our national team.” He added that the shirt had never belonged to him alone and that, for 23 years, he had enjoyed “the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world”.

He also said the time had come to pass the number on to the next generation. “It was not an easy decision,” he said, describing a choice made “with the heart” as well as the mind. He called the journey that began in August 2003, and changed his life, complete.

His relationship with head coach Jorge Jesus shaped the closing stages of his international career. Jesus left him on the bench for the following match and said he did not intend to start him in the one after that. Ronaldo then left the team’s training camp. Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back if he wanted to return, and that the decision was his.

The Portuguese Football Federation expressed its “deep gratitude and immense admiration” for Ronaldo’s service to the country. It also praised his impact on Portugal’s profile and on young people hoping to follow in his footsteps, calling him the greatest player of all time for many of its members. The federation intends to organise a tribute that fans and the country can join.