Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he is retiring from international football at the age of 41, ending a 23‑year spell with the Portugal national team.
Ronaldo leaves the side having earned 234 caps and scored 146 goals – a world‑record tally for a senior international player.
The decision follows a recent dispute with national coach Jorge Jesus. After being omitted from a Nations League match, Ronaldo left the team camp and was subsequently handed a 30‑day suspension.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, the five‑time Ballon d’Or winner said, “To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team.” He added that the choice was “not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone – they are also made with the heart.”
Ronaldo’s international résumé includes winning the 2016 European Championship in France, where he was forced off the final with an injury, and scoring three goals at the 2022 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico before Portugal were eliminated in the round of 16 by eventual champions Spain.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>