Two of soccer’s greatest players have now stepped away from international football. About a month after Lionel Messi’s final appearance for Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo announced Thursday that he is retiring from Portugal’s national team.
Ronaldo first played for Portugal in August 2003, when he was 18.
His international career appears to have ended on a slightly awkward note. He started Portugal’s 1-0 Nations League win over Wales on September 24, but was left out of the lineup for the team’s next match against Norway. Coach Jorge Jesus had also indicated Ronaldo would not start the following game against Denmark, and Ronaldo left the training camp.
The Portuguese soccer federation said it plans to hold a tribute to celebrate Ronaldo and give supporters across the country a chance to applaud him for all he has contributed.
In a five-minute video posted on social media, Ronaldo read a prepared statement announcing his retirement. He described the moment Portugal’s national anthem begins, when he looks around at his teammates and the fans in the stands. For those few minutes, he said, differences disappear and everyone is united by one thing: Portugal.
Ronaldo will continue playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia through the end of the season.
At 41, he leaves international soccer with records that may be difficult to match. No men’s player has made more appearances for his country than Ronaldo’s 234, or scored more international goals than his 146.
