‘Many of you never appeared in these photographs. But without you, none of those photographs would have been possible. To my family, thank you for sharing this dream with me. Thank you for understanding the absences, the sacrifices, and the moments when the national team had to occupy a space that also belonged to you.
‘If I got this far, it was because we were always hand in hand. And to the Portuguese, to all Portuguese people scattered around the world, I want to tell you one last thing. There is an image I will always carry with me: the moment the national anthem begins. I look around, I see my teammates, I see the stands, I see children, mothers, fathers, and grandfathers, I see Portuguese people who came from so far just to be there.
‘And during those minutes, we stop being different. There are no clubs, there are no colors, there are no classes, there are no professions, there are no opinions. There is only one passion: Portugal.
‘That is a feeling I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Today, my journey on the pitch with the national team ends. I leave with my head held high, proud of the path I walked and with the awareness that I gave everything I had for Portugal.
‘But I will never stop being one of you. I will continue to suffer, to cheer, and to celebrate every victory of Portugal. I spent my life working to be the best player in the world. Today I realize that the greatest victory was having deserved to represent the best country in the world.
