Cristiano Ronaldo announces his international retirement from Portugal

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo won’t play for Portugal anymore, ending on Thursday a career that spanned six World Cups and included a European title and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

His announcement marked the end of a much lauded career that began more than two decades ago before Euro 2004 and finished with him walking out on the national team after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus.

“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 long video message on social media. “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 said.

“Today the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision because some decisions are not made with the mind alone. They are also made with the heart. A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end.”

Ronaldo will keep playing at club level, which he is…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports