Cristiano Ronaldo Retires From Portugal's National Team
The 41-year-old ends a 23-year international career with a world-record 146 goals for Portugal. The announcement concerns national-team football.
Cristiano Ronaldo announced Thursday that he is retiring from international football, ending a 23-year career with Portugal's national team at age 41, Agence France-Presse reported.
Ronaldo played 234 times for Portugal and scored 146 goals, a world record. His announcement concerns international football, not retirement from the sport as a whole.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, Ronaldo said the time had come to hand back Portugal's number seven shirt and pass it to the future. He described the decision as difficult and said the shirt had never belonged to him alone.
His international career began in August 2003. He helped Portugal win the 2016 European Championship in France, although an injury forced him off during the final.
At this year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Ronaldo scored three goals as Portugal reached the round of 16, according to AFP.
The retirement follows a dispute with national coach Jorge Jesus last month after Ronaldo was not used in a Nations League match. He left the team camp and received a 30-day suspension, AFP reported.