Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, one of football’s all-time greats, has announced his retirement from international football, bringing the curtain down on a 23-year career with the national team. A Euro 2016 winner, Ronaldo bows out with 146 goals in 234 appearances, holding the records for most goals and appearances in men’s international football.
Here’s the full transcript of his retirement statement:
“To the Portuguese people. The day has come for me to hand back the number 7 shirt of our national team. 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.
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.
When I look back at everything I experienced with the national team, I don’t just see matches, goals, records or trophies. I see people; Portuguese people living abroad, who, for 90 minutes, felt a little closer to home. I see millions of Portuguese people I have never met but who have become part of my life. Because at the end of the day, football is so much bigger than a game. Football is about people.
Throughout my entire career with the national team. I always pushed myself beyond limits. I wanted to win. I wanted to be better. I wanted to make history. I always demanded the most of myself. I always wanted more. I always believed we could go further. And I gave everything I had for this shirt. There were perfect afternoons and nights. There were victories I will never forget. There were defeats that still hurt to remember.
I made mistakes. I suffered. There were also moments when I couldn’t give the Portuguese people what they so desperately wanted. But I never gave up. And above all, I never stopped feeling wanting to represent Portugal. Over the years, I learned a few very simple things: Goals fade, trophies end up in museums. Records are eventually broken. But there is something that time can never erase. The place we hold in people’s hearts. If I ever made you happy, if one of my goals ever made you embrace someone, forget a worry, or feel very proud of our country, then it was all worth it.
Because being Portuguese is also about this. We suffer together; we rise together. We believe again. Portugal will always need young people who dare to dream. Players who never give up. New generations who believe it is possible to go where no one has gone before. Because a country that keeps creating new heroes is a country that never stops believing in itself.
To my teammates, I want to say something special. Thank you for every run. For every embrace. For every silence before stepping onto the pitch. For every victory we celebrated together and every defeat that made us stronger. I had the privilege of being your captain, but no captain walks alone. And you will always be part of my story.
To all the coaches, directors, doctors, physiotherapists, kit managers, staff members, and so many others who worked alongside me throughout these years, thank you. Many of you never appeared in the photographs, but without you, none of those photographs would have been possible.
To my family, thank you for sharing this dream with me. Thank you for understanding the absences, the sacrifices, and the moments with the national team had to take up a space in my life that also belonged to you. If I came this far, it was because we always walked hand in hand.
And to the people of Portugal… to every Portuguese person, wherever you are in the world, there is one last thing I want to say to you. There is an image I will carry with me forever. The moment the national anthem begins. I look around. I see my teammates. I see the stands. I see children, mothers, fathers and grandparents. I see Portuguese people who have travelled so far just to be there. And for those few minutes, all our differences disappear. There are no clubs. There are no colours. There are no opinions. There is only one passion: PORTUGAL.
That is the feeling I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Today, my journey on the pitch with the national team comes to an end. I leave with my head held high and knowing that I gave everything for Portugal. But I will never stop being one of you. I will keep suffering, cheering and celebrating every Portuguese victory with a Siuuuuu.
I spent my life working to become the best player in the world. Today, I realise that my greatest victory was earning the honour of representing the best country in the world. Thank you for these 23 years. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for allowing me to live a dream that began when I was just a little boy in Madeira, running after a football. The number 7 shirt will always remain. The pride of having worn it will be mine forever. Portugal will always be a part of me. Farewell, until we meet again, Cristiano Ronaldo.”