Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, ending a record-breaking career with Portugal at the age of 41.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner announced in a long video posted on his Instagram account on Thursday, reading out a letter addressed to supporters.
Referring to his iconic shirt number, Ronaldo said it was time to hand back the national team’s number 7 shirt.
He said he had never thought the shirt belonged only to him, but that he had been fortunate to wear it for 23 years and had carried the responsibility that came with it.
Ronaldo played a record 234 matches for Portugal and also holds the record for international goals, with 146.
