Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football with Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football following a fall-out with Portugal boss Jorge Jesus.

The 41-year-old is Portugal’s leading goalscorer having scored 146 times in 234 appearances. In 2016, he won the European Championship with Portugal.

But he left the Portuguese training camp during the last international break, after not making an appearance against Norway in a 2-1 Nations League win. He headed straight to the dressing room at the final whistle of that match and did not join his teammates in applauding the travelling fans in Oslo.

He was punished with a suspension from international duty and a small fine after a lengthy statement which explained his exit from the training camp. Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking promises in an explosive bust-up — claiming he was told that he would make an appearance off the bench so began a warm-up only for the coach to change his mind.

On Thursday, a day before Portugal’s next squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures is due to be announced, Ronaldo confirmed his retirement from international duty via social media.

“To the Portuguese people, the day has come to return the No. 7 jersey of the national team,” he said.

“I never felt it belonged to me alone but for 23 years I had the priviledge and 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 onto 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.”