Ronaldo breaks silence with painful admission amid fresh retirement claims

The result has prompted speculation that Ronaldo will announce his international retirement after 212 appearances for Portugal. He had already confirmed that this will be his last Euros after the last-16 win over Slovenia on penalties.

Taking to Instagram, Ronaldo wrote: “We wanted more. We deserved more. For us. For each and every one of you. For Portugal. We are grateful for all that you have given us and all that we have accomplished so far.

“On and off the field, I am sure that this legacy will be honoured and will continue to be built. Together.”

Ronaldo was seen comforting his long-time Portugal team-mate Pepe after the defeat to France in Hamburg, with the 41-year-old defender expected to also call time on his international career in the near future.

Asked about the futures of both Ronaldo and Pepe after the match, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez said: “It’s too soon and raw after the match to talk about that and there have been no individual decisions made.”

Pepe was also asked about his plans, and said: “This is not the time to talk about a certain farewell to the national team. It is a moment of loss. I will have the opportunity to talk about it.”

Elaborating on Portugal’s exit, he added: “It’s hard to find words for the performance we played.. The level of work deserved a different result. Unfortunately, that’s football. Four or five days ago we were all happy because we beat Slovenia, but today we’re sad.

“I congratulate my team-mates, who fought hard, who did what our coach asked and did well. We had our chances to score, we played the game intelligently.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.