Cristiano Ronaldo announces international retirement

LISBON - Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday he was retiring from international football at the age of 41.

Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in 2003 and went on to play a world record 234 times for his country, scoring 146 goals.

The five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or released a video on his Instagram account on Thursday in which he said he had played his last match for Portugal.

"To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team," Ronaldo said, as images of his career were played.

"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," he added.

AFP