Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football, ending 23 years with Portugal. The 41-year-old confirmed it on social media this morning, as Sky Sports report, signing off with the line “Portugal will always be in me.”
He goes with 243 caps and a record 146 goals for his country. That works out at roughly 0.6 a game for more than two decades, and nobody else in the men’s international game has scored more.
Euro 2016 was the big one, the trophy that finally arrived with Portugal. Two Nations League titles followed.
The timing won’t shock anyone who’s been following the story. Ronaldo fell out with head coach Jorge Jesus during the last international break and was punished after walking out following an explosive row. Whether that pushed the decision along only he knows.
In his message he said he was leaving with his head held high and proud of the path he took. He thanked his team-mates, coaches and family, and the Portuguese supporters all over the world.
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Whatever you make of how it ended, you don’t get 146 goals and a European Championship by accident. The row with Jesus is a sour note to go out on, and it’d have been nicer to see him wave goodbye in front of a full stadium. But he’s 41 and this was always coming. Portugal now have to work out where the goals come from without him, and that won’t happen quickly.