Ronaldo announces international retirement

Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football on Thursday at the age of 41. Throughout his career, Ronaldo donned the Portugal national team jersey 234 times and scored 146 goals, a record that stands unparalleled worldwide. Despite his declining form in recent years, Ronaldo had recently been embroiled in controversy with national coach Jorge Jesus, leading to his suspension for 30 days.

Initially, reports suggested that he might rejoin the international squad, but on Thursday, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner released a video on his Instagram account confirming his decision to end his international career. In the poignant video, Ronaldo expressed his gratitude towards the Portuguese people, saying, "The day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team."

Ronaldo reflected on his 23-year tenure with the team, acknowledging that the shirt belonged not only to him but to the entire nation. "I never felt it belonged to me alone," he said, "but for 23 years, I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world."

The star player acknowledged that the decision to retire was not easy, as some choices are made with both heart and mind. Ronaldo's international career peaked in 2016 when Portugal won the European Championship in France, and he had an illustrious World Cup run in 2018, scoring three goals for his country before Portugal's elimination from the tournament in the Round of 16.