The 37-year-old became the first male player to score in five Fifa World Cups, but started on the bench for Portugal in both their knockout stage matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday “there’s no point in reacting in the heat of the moment,” as he responded to Portugal’s World Cup elimination.
Ronaldo stayed in Qatar as many of the Portugal squad returned home and landed in Lisbon on Sunday afternoon.
“To win a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for Portugal,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.
His post did not talk about international retirement but he started Portugal’s last two matches in Qatar on the bench, a decision which provoked debate in Portugal and across the football world.
