Bruno Fernandes was the Portugal captain on the pitch long before Thursday. On Thursday he became the player holding the microphone after Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, announced the end of his 23-year international career.
“Thank you for the inspiration. It was a privilege to share great moments for our team with my childhood idol,” Fernandes wrote on social media.
Ronaldo leaves as men’s international football’s all-time record holder for both goals and appearances: 146 goals in 234 caps, numbers built across six World Cups from 2006 to 2026 and three major trophies, including Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
Ronaldo: ‘I gave everything I had’
The forward made the announcement himself on social media.
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“Today I finish my walk on the pitch with the national team. I leave with my head held high, with pride in the path I took, and with the awareness that I gave everything I had for Portugal,” Ronaldo wrote, according to Sky Sports.
He first pulled on the Portugal shirt as a teenager in August 2003. Twenty-three years later, the farewell lands with Portugal’s post-Ronaldo era already under way, and Fernandes already wearing the captain’s armband for his country.
Dalot, Pepe and Ramos join the tributes
Fernandes’ Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot, also a Portugal international, kept it short. “You made us dream, you made us believe and you made us WIN! Thank you, idol,” Dalot posted, according to Yahoo Sports.
Pepe, Ronaldo’s long-time central defender for club and country, offered a line that placed the relationship outside the pitch.
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“It was more than football. Thank you for everything, Cris,” Pepe wrote.
Sergio Ramos, the former Real Madrid captain who played alongside and against Ronaldo for more than a decade, took a different register: “Really…?? Hahaha. You’re a legend, bro! Enjoy the other things in life.”
Vinícius Júnior simply wrote “Forever number 1!!!!!!”, Neymar called Ronaldo a legend, and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand marked the career with a short tribute to his old team-mate: “You came, you saw, you conquered … 146 goals for you’re [sic] country, 3 major trophies & continue to put Portugal on the world map! Keep smiling.”
Manchester United salute their former No. 7
Manchester United, where Ronaldo won three Premier League titles and the Champions League in his first spell, posted their own message on social media: “Congratulations on an incredible international career, @Cristiano.”
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Thursday’s announcement covers only international football. Ronaldo remains under contract at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia until 2027.
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