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Cristiano Ronaldo. Alamy Stock Photo
From The 42the end
Cristiano Ronaldo announces retirement from international football
41-year-old retires after 234 games for Portugal.
PORTUGUESE FOOTBALL LEGEND Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday that he was retiring from international football.
The 41-year-old, who has played 234 times for Portugal and scored 146 goals, fell out with national coach Jorge Jesus last month after he refused to use him in a Nations League match. Ronaldo immediately left the team camp.
“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team,” Ronaldo said in a video on his Instagram account.
“I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world,” he continued.
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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