Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football. The Portugal captain's announcement landed as a stunning surprise, coming after he had earlier confirmed his desire to carry on, and it follows his historic rival Lionel Messi, who called time on his own international career around a month earlier.
Twenty-three years after his first appearance in the jersey, Ronaldo brought the curtain down with a moving farewell message he published on his social media accounts this Thursday morning.
He did not wait for coach Jorge Jesus to name his squad, due tomorrow, Friday, for the November international break, before announcing his decision.
Instead, the Al-Nassr star chose a video message lasting around five minutes, speaking directly to the Portuguese fans.
Ronaldo ends his international journey with 234 matches, 146 goals and three titles, the most notable being the European Championship, Euro 2016, along with two UEFA Nations League crowns.
Rebellion, suspension, then retirement
The decision followed a crisis that gripped sporting circles during the last international break and raised questions about his relationship with Jesus.
Tension took hold of the Portugal squad after Ronaldo left the camp in Denmark without permission.
He had already served a 30-day suspension and paid a fine of 255 euros for walking out.
Ronaldo had made clear he would accept any penalty for his behaviour, and that is exactly what happened. But the crisis did not stop at the disciplinary side. His relationship with Jesus never recovered from the dispute that had erupted between them.
The forward felt betrayed by Jesus's explanatory statements, believing they did not respect the explicit agreement the two had reached at an earlier meeting. That prompted him to clarify his position in a message marked by a sharp tone.
Tension between the pair rumbled on, amid doubts over whether Ronaldo would feature in Portugal's upcoming squad for the trip to Denmark on 14 November and Wales on the 17th, the final two rounds of the Nations League group stage.
His name sat on the preliminary list for both matches, but the retirement decision ended the speculation for good. The holder of the number 7 shirt will now be absent from his national team for the rest of his footballing career.
Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, had tried to step in and bring Ronaldo back into the fold. The mediation efforts failed.
Below is the full text of Ronaldo's farewell message:
"To the Portuguese people, the day has come when I return the number 7 jersey to all of us. I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the honour and responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and taking it with me to pitches all over the world.
Today the moment has come to hand the banner over to the future. It was not an easy decision, for there are decisions not made by the mind alone, but in which the heart also takes part.
I am ending a journey that began in August 2003, and changed my life forever. When I look back and remember everything I lived through with the national team, I do not only see matches, goals, records and trophies, but I see people. I see immigrants who felt that Portugal had become closer to them during 90 minutes, and I see millions of Portuguese whom I never met in person, but who were part of my life. In the end, football is far bigger than just a game, it is the people.
Throughout my career with the national team, I sought to surpass my limits. I wanted to win, to be the best, and to make history. I was always strict with myself, aspiring for more, believing in our ability to go as far as possible, and I gave everything I had for this jersey.
We lived perfect evenings and nights, and achieved victories I will never forget, as well as suffering defeats whose memory still pains me to this day. I failed at times, I suffered, and I went through moments in which I could not give the Portuguese what they so deeply wished for, but I never gave up, and most importantly I never lost my sense of pride in representing Portugal.
Over these years I learned very simple things; goals pass, trophies remain in museums, records are broken by someone who comes along, but there is something that time can never erase, and that is the place we occupy in people's hearts. If I ever made you happy, or made you embrace someone after one of my goals, or forget a difficult moment, or feel proud of our country, then everything I did was worth the effort. Because being Portuguese means that too; we suffer together, we rise together, and we believe again.
Portugal will always need young people who dream, players who do not give up, and new generations who believe it is possible to reach places no one has reached before. For a country that keeps producing its new heroes is a country that never stops believing in itself.
To my teammates in the national team, I would like to address a special word. Thank you for every run, every embrace, every discussion, every moment of silence before stepping onto the pitch, and for every victory we celebrated together, and every defeat that made us stronger. It was an honour for me to be your captain, but no captain walks alone, and you are part of my story.
To all the coaches, officials, doctors, physiotherapists, equipment staff and everyone who worked with me over these years, thank you. Many of you did not appear 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, and for your understanding of the periods of absence, the sacrifices, and the moments in which the national team also had to take up a space in your lives. If I reached this far, it is because we were always one hand.
And to the Portuguese, and all the children of Portugal spread across the world, I would like to tell you one final thing. There is an image I will always carry with me, and it is the moment the national anthem is played. I look around me and see my teammates, the stands, the children, the mothers, the fathers and the grandparents, and I see Portuguese who travelled long distances just to be there. And during those minutes, we stop being different; no clubs, no colours, no social classes, no professions, no opinions, just one single passion: Portugal.
This feeling I will carry with me throughout my life. Today my journey inside the pitch with the national team ends. I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I took, and aware that I gave everything I had for Portugal. But I will never stop being one of you, and I will continue to suffer, rejoice and celebrate every Portuguese victory from the depths of my heart.
I spent my life working to become the best player in the world, but today I realise that the greatest victory was to deserve to represent the best country in the world.
Thank you for these 23 years, and thank you for believing in me, and for giving me the chance to live a dream that began when I was just a child on the island of Madeira, running after a ball.
The number 7 jersey will remain, and my pride in wearing it will stay mine forever. Portugal will always remain inside me.
Until we meet again, always.. Cristiano Ronaldo".