LISBON (PORTUGAL) (ITALPRESS) – The match against Wales on 24 September will go down as Cristiano Ronaldo’s final appearance for Portugal. In a five-minute video posted on his social media accounts, CR7 announced his retirement from international football.
The announcement may not have come as a complete surprise, given the events that unfolded following the match against Wales: Ronaldo was left on the bench for the game against Norway, tensions arose with head coach Jorge Jesus, he left the national team’s training camp, and the Football Federation imposed a 30-day suspension. The Federation had nevertheless hoped to resolve the dispute and bring CR7 back into the squad.
But it was not to be. Twenty-three years after making his international debut, the 41-year-old Al Nassr forward brings to an end a chapter featuring 146 goals in 234 appearances, as well as the triumph of winning one European Championship and two Nations League titles.
“Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the national team’s number 7 shirt,” Ronaldo began. “I have never felt that it belonged exclusively to me. But for 23 years, I have had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all over the world. Today, the time has come to hand it over to the future. It has not been an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the head alone. They are also made with the heart.”
“I am bringing to a close a journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever,” Ronaldo continued. “When I look back and think about everything I experienced with the national team, I do not see only matches, goals, records or trophies. I see people. I see Portuguese emigrants who, for 90 minutes, felt a little closer to Portugal. I see millions of Portuguese people I have never met personally, but who have been part of my life. Because, when all is said and done, football is much more than a game. Football is about people.”
Ronaldo insists that he “gave everything I had for this shirt”.
“There were perfect afternoons and evenings, victories I will never forget and defeats that I still find difficult to look back on. I made mistakes, I suffered, and there were moments when I was unable to give the Portuguese people what they so desperately wanted. But I never gave up. Above all, I never stopped feeling proud to represent Portugal. And if I ever made you happy, if one of my goals ever made you hug someone, forget a difficult moment or feel proud of our country, then it was all worth it.”
CR7 also stressed that “Portugal will always need young people who dream, players who never give up, and new generations who believe it is possible to reach places no one has ever reached before. Because a country that continues to produce new heroes is a country that never stops believing in itself.”
He also expressed his gratitude to everyone who had accompanied him on this long journey, including his family and the Portuguese people.
“Today, my journey on the pitch with the national team comes to an end. I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I have travelled and knowing that I gave everything I had for Portugal. But I will never stop being one of you. I will continue to suffer, feel every emotion and celebrate every Portuguese victory with all my heart.
“I have spent my life working to become the best player in the world. Today, I understand that the greatest victory was earning the right to represent the best country in the world.”
– Photo: IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
