Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football on Thursday at the age of 41, weeks after a crisis that saw him leave the national team camp following a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus over not including him in a UEFA Nations League match.
"Today my journey with the national team comes to an end," Ronaldo said in a video posted to his Instagram account, which boasts nearly 680 million followers.
The Al-Nassr striker, who began his international career in 2003, made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored a world record 146 goals.
But the striker's abilities have declined in recent years, and he also clashed with his coach, Jesus, who managed him at Al-Nassr last season, last month after the latter refused to include him in a Nations League match.
After apologizing for leaving the Seleção camp on September 30, the day before the match against Denmark in Copenhagen, "CR7" received a symbolic punishment of a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine.
The Portuguese Football Federation paved the way for his return when it announced last week that he was included in a preliminary squad of around 50 players in preparation for the match against Denmark on November 14 in Braga, in the north of the country, and then Wales three days later in Cardiff.
However, despite expressing regret for his behavior towards the fans and his teammates, Ronaldo sharply criticized coach Jesus, accusing him of betraying his trust.
Despite rumors suggesting a possible return to the national team, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner posted a video on his Instagram account on Thursday announcing his retirement from international football, just 24 hours before the coach was due to announce his final squad for the upcoming Nations League matches.
In the video, which featured highlights from his career, he said, "The day has come to return the number 7 shirt to the national team, which represents us all."
He added, "I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the honor and responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and taking it with me to stadiums around the world."
He continued, "Today it's time to pass it on to the future. It wasn't an easy decision, because some decisions aren't made with the head alone, but with the heart as well."
He concluded, "A journey that began in August 2003 has come to an end and changed my life forever."
During his last major tournament, the 2016 World Cup in North America this summer, the Madeira native became the first player in history to score in six different World Cups. However, the tournament ended disappointingly with Portugal's elimination in the round of 16 against Spain (1-0), who went on to win the title.
Among the highlights of his international career, Ronaldo led Portugal to victory in the 2016 European Championship in France, despite having to leave the field injured during the final.
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