ANDIn reaction to the decision taken this Thursday, the leader highlighted that the striker’s career serving Portugal represented the country’s aspirations for decades.
The director considers that Ronaldo created “an impact on a global scale, which has no comparison in our history”, stressing that his legacy “is much more than football”, despite being associated with the records and greatest achievements of the Portuguese team.
Evangelista also highlights the influence of the Portuguese international on the younger generations, who grew up looking at his achievements as “the highest standard of professionalism and excellence”.
“The word that the Players’ Union has is of utmost gratitude.”, states the president of the organization, who thanks Ronaldo for “the dedication, passion and pride” with which he defended the national colors.
“Your story with the Seleção ends, but the legacy you built will be eternal. Thank you, captain. Thank you, Cristiano Ronaldo”, concludes Joaquim Evangelista.
Striker Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, announced today his withdrawal from the Portuguese football team, through a video posted on his social networks, on the eve of the squad for the final games in the Nations League being announced.
World record holder for national team games, with 234 ‘AA’ caps, and for goals, with 146, Cristiano Ronaldo’s career highlights include winning Euro2016, in France, as well as two editions of the Nations League, in 2019 and 2025, after the bad-memory final of Euro2004, at home.
On September 30, the striker left the Portuguese national team training camp on the eve of the match against Denmark in the League of Nations, at the beginning of Jorge Jesus’ cycle as coach of the national team.
Ronaldo, who was a starter with Wales and an unused substitute with Norway, revealed that Jesus failed to speak to him more than once and that is why he decided to leave the training camp on his own initiative, a decision that cost him a 30-day ban, already served, and a fine of 255 euros.
The last game for the ‘quinas’ team ended up being the triumph against Wales (1-0) played on the 24th of September, in the first round of Group A4 of the League of Nations, more than 23 years after the debut on the 23rd of August 2003, in Chaves, in a friendly against Kazakhstan.
The last goal with the Portuguese shirt was scored in the victory against Croatia (2-1), in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, on July 3, in Toronto, by converting a penalty.
