Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football after 23-year career

Cristiano Ronaldo has officially announced his retirement from international football.The five-time Ballon d'Or winner made the announcement on social media.RELATED STORY | Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player to score in six World Cups"To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt to the national team. 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 over the world," Ronaldo said. "Today, the time has come to carry it into the future. It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone," he added. "They are also made with the heart. A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end."The announcement comes after the 41-year-old left Portugal's training camp in September while the team competed in the Nations League, where he made his final international app