Cristiano Ronaldo retires from Portugal national team
Ronaldo retired from international soccer in an Instagram video, ending a 23-year run as Portugal's record scorer and caps leader.
Why Cristiano Ronaldo is trending
Cristiano Ronaldo retired from international soccer on Thursday, closing out a 23-year run with Portugal's national team. The 41-year-old did not release a short statement. He posted a long Instagram video and read a letter straight to his supporters.
Ronaldo leaves as the most capped and highest scoring player in Portugal's history, with 234 appearances and 146 goals, both national records. In the video he talked about handing back the number 7 shirt he wore for Portugal, and said of it, 'I never thought it belonged to me alone.' He framed the 23 years in the shirt as both a privilege and a responsibility.
The fall-out with Jorge Jesus behind the timing
The retirement comes after a clash with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus, according to ESPN. Ronaldo left the national team's training camp during the last international break and did not play when Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in the Nations League.
At the final whistle in Oslo, Ronaldo walked straight to the locker room instead of staying on the field with his teammates to applaud the traveling Portugal fans. The federation suspended him from international duty and fined him, after he had already put out a lengthy statement explaining why he left camp.
Ronaldo's version, per ESPN, is that Jesus broke a promise to him. He said the coach told him he would come on as a substitute against Norway, so he started warming up on the sideline, only for Jesus to change his mind and leave him out of the match completely.
What's known, what isn't, and what's next
What's confirmed: Ronaldo is done playing for Portugal, he made the call himself and announced it on his own terms, and he exits as the country's record scorer and record appearance holder. He also already has the biggest prize of his Portugal career locked in, the European Championship title he won with the team in 2016.
What's not confirmed yet is whether this is the final word between Ronaldo and the federation or just the end of one chapter in a messier story. CNN, which first reported the retirement, says it is a developing story and will be updated as more comes out. No replacement has been named for the leadership role Ronaldo held on the senior squad.
The bigger picture on a brutal ending
A 23-year international run ending because of a benched substitute appearance says a lot about how far things had deteriorated between Ronaldo and Jesus by the end. Walking off before the final applause in Oslo was the moment that turned a benching into a suspension and a fine.
Still, none of that changes the number next to his name in Portugal's record book: record caps, record goals, and a European Championship title from 2016. That part of the story was already written before any of this week's news broke.