Cristiano Ronaldo retires from the Portugal national team: “It will always stay with me”

Ronaldo announced his retirement in a lengthy video posted on social media, reflecting on his career, his historic goals and the sacrifices he made in a Portugal shirt. He turned 41 in February and has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for the national team. His retirement follows tensions with manager Jorge Jesus in the Nations League, his departure from the training camp and his suspension.

Ronaldo said: "To the Portuguese people, the day has come to hand back the number 7 shirt of the national team that belongs to us all. I have never felt it was mine alone. But for 23 years, I have had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it. Of defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums around the world. Today, the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision. Because some decisions are not made with your head alone. They are made with your heart too. I am bringing to an end a journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever."

"When I think of everything I have experienced with the national team, I do not just see matches, goals, records or trophies. I see people. I see emigrants who, for 90 minutes, felt a little closer to Portugal. I see millions of Portuguese people whom I have never met personally, but who have been part of my life. Because, in the end, football is much more than a match. Football is about people. Throughout my national-team career, I have tried to push beyond my limits. I wanted to win, I wanted to be the best, I wanted to make history. I have always demanded a lot of myself. I have always wanted more, always believed we could go further. And I gave everything I had for this shirt." He recalled: "There have been perfect afternoons and nights, there have been victories I will never forget, and there have been defeats that are still painful for me to recall. I have failed too, I have suffered too, and there have also been times when I could not give the Portuguese people what they wanted so much. But I never gave up. And above all, I never stopped feeling proud to represent Portugal. Over these years, I have learnt some very simple things. Goals fade, trophies remain in museums, records eventually get broken. But there is something time can never erase: the place we hold in people's hearts. If I have ever made you happy, if a goal of mine has ever made you embrace someone, forget a hardship or simply feel proud of our country, then it has all been worth it. Because being Portuguese is also about that. We suffer together, we get back up together. We believe again. Portugal will always need young people who dream, players who never give up, new generations who believe it is possible to reach places no one has ever reached. Because a country that continues to produce new heroes is a country that never stops believing in itself. To my national-team team-mates, I want to say something special. Thank you for every run, every embrace, every discussion, every silence before going onto the pitch. For every victory we celebrated together and every defeat that made us stronger. I had the privilege of being your captain, but no captain walks alone. And you are part of my story. To all the coaches, officials, doctors, physiotherapists, kit staff, employees and the many people who have worked with me over these years, thank you. Many of you have never appeared in the photos. But without you, none of those photos would have been possible. To my family, thank you for sharing this dream with me. Thank you for understanding the absences, the sacrifices and the times when the national team had to take up space that belonged to you too. If I have come this far, it is because we have always gone hand in hand. And to the Portuguese people, to all Portuguese people around the world, I want to say one last thing."

"There is an image I will always carry with me: the moment the national anthem begins. I look around, I see my team-mates, I see the stands, I see children, mothers, fathers and grandparents, I see Portuguese people who have come from so far away just to be there. And for those minutes, we stop being different. There are no clubs, no colours, no classes, no professions, no opinions. There is only one passion: Portugal. I will carry that feeling with me for the rest of my life. Today, my time on the pitch with the national team comes to an end. I leave with my head held high, proud of the journey I have made and knowing that I gave everything I had for Portugal. But I will never stop being one of you. I will continue to suffer, to cheer and to celebrate every Portugal victory. I have spent my life working to be the best player in the world. Today, I understand that the greatest victory was earning the right to represent the most beautiful country in the world. Thank you for these 23 years. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for allowing me to live a dream that began when I was just a child in Madeira, chasing a ball. The number 7 shirt remains; the pride of having worn it will be mine forever. Portugal will always be inside me. See you soon."