Ramos and Ronaldo won four UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles together during their time at Real Madrid.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from international football, calling the striker “a legend”.
The ex-Spain centre-back, who was a former teammate of Ronaldo in La Liga, mixed a joke with a warm tribute in an Instagram post shared via the @MadridXtra account on X after the Al-Nassr forward retired from the Portugal national team.
Ronaldo’s retirement comes weeks after a falling-out with Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus, which resulted in a fine and a 30-day suspension.
The 41-year-old is Portugal’s leading goalscorer and captain, having scored 146 goals in 234 appearances and won the European Championship in 2016.
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In a lengthy video posted on Instagram, Ronaldo said: “To the Portuguese people, the day has come to hand back the number seven shirt of the national team that belongs to us all. I never felt it was exclusively mine.
”But for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and taking it with me to stadiums all over the world. Today the time has come to hand it over to the future.
”It was not an easy decision, because there are decisions that are not made solely with the head; they are also made with the heart.”
Reacting to the post, Ramos, who won four Champions League titles alongside Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu, urged him to enjoy his life after international duty.
He wrote: “Oh, really…?? Ahahahah. What a legend; time to enjoy other things in life.”
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