Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal career: Best moments, key stats after his retirement from international soccer - ESPN

Cristiano Ronaldo announced his international retirement on Thursday, calling time on a storied career with Portugal that first began when he was still a teenager, almost a quarter of a century ago.

In an emotional video message posted on social media, Ronaldo thanked the Portuguese people before revealing that he has made the decision to hand back the famous No.7 jersey he has worn with pride for the Seleção.

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«I never felt [the shirt] belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world,» Ronaldo said. «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.»

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The 41-year-old ended his international career on something of a sour note when he walked out of a training camp in October after being informed that he wouldn't be starting for Portugal against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.

However, that is unlikely to eclipse what has been a long and highly successful tour of duty for Portugal, during which Ronaldo has collected several major honors while scoring 146 goals in 234 caps, including strikes at six different FIFA World Cup tournaments — all of which are records in the men's