Cristiano Ronaldo announces retirement from international football

The announcement by the footballing legend comes just weeks after a public spat with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus over playing time. "To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team," the 41-year-old 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," Ronaldo said. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward represented his country 234 times, scoring 146 goals — making him the men's record-holder for ⁠international ​appearances and for international goals. He captained Portugal ​to their first major trophy at ​ Euro 2016 and led them to the 2019 and 2025 Nations League titles.

"It was not an easy decision, there are decisions that are not ​only with the head. They are also made with the heart," Ronaldo continued in the Instagram post.