Cristiano Ronaldo International Retirement and Portugal federation sponsor contracts, Digi Mart USA News: Cristiano Ronaldo ended speculation on Thursday by announcing his retirement from international football in a video posted on social media. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward finished with 234 caps and 146 goals for Portugal.
Ronaldo had been expected to return to the national team for matches against Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17, following his falling-out with coach Jorge Jesus. Instead, he chose to end his international career, saying it was time to pass the number 7 shirt on to the future.
In the video, Ronaldo said he had never considered the shirt his alone. He said he had carried it for 23 years and taken it to stadiums around the world.
He acknowledged that the decision was not easy because some choices are made with the heart as well as the head.
Ronaldo’s departure raised questions about the financial impact on the Portuguese Football Federation. Earlier controversies, including his refusal to play at a Denmark training camp and his decision to leave the squad, had already cost the team’s national Instagram account about 600,000 followers.
According to O Jogo, the federation’s main sponsorship contracts, which generate roughly 56 million euros a year, run until 2030, the year of the next World Cup. The newspaper reports that the World Cup, rather than the Ronaldo brand, was the main reason for signing those partnerships, since few expected him to play at 45.
The only expected decline involves sales of shirts and merchandise linked to Ronaldo’s image. The federation is not particularly concerned, because its kit contract with Puma, worth about 20 million euros a year, gives the sportswear company most of the revenue from those products.
