And just like that, two of the greatest soccer players to ever touch a pitch have called it quits on the international stage.
One month after Lionel Messi played for Argentina for the last time in his career, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he is retiring from international play.
Ronaldo made his debut with Portugal in August 2003 at just 18 years old.
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While Ronaldo will hang it up as Portugal’s greatest player of all time, the final moments of his international career weren’t necessarily the smoothest.
After starting in a 1-0 win over Wales in the Nations League on September 24, which has suddenly become his last match ever for Portugal, Ronaldo was left on the bench for the following match against Norway. Portugal manager Jorge Jesus made it clear that he had no plans to start Ronaldo in the next match against Denmark, which led him to leave the training camp.
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In a statement released by the Portuguese soccer federation, the plan is to hold a tribute for Ronaldo “in which the fans and the country can one more time applaud and celebrate a player who has given us so much.”
Ronaldo released a five-minute-long video across social media in which he sat down and read a prepared statement announcing his retirement from Portugal.
“To the people of Portugal. To every Portuguese person around the world, wherever you are in the world, there is one last thing I want to tell you,” Ronaldo’s statement read in part. “There is an image I will carry with me forever. The moment our national anthem begins. I look around. I see my teammates. I see the stands. I see the children, the mothers, the fathers and the grandparents. I see Portuguese people who have travelled so far just to be there. And for a few minutes, all our differences disappear.
“There are no clubs, there are no colours, there are no classes, there are no professions, there are no opinions. There is only one passion: Portugal.”
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Ronaldo will continue to play for his club, Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, until the season’s end.
The 41-year-old will step away as one of the most decorated players ever, as no player on the men’s side of international soccer has made more appearances (234) or scored as many goals (146) for their country as Ronaldo.
