Key Takeaways
- IShowSpeed broke down in tears while watching Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal retirement announcement and defended his idol’s legacy.
- Ronaldo ended his Portugal career following a fallout with head coach Jorge Jesus over alleged broken promises.
Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international soccer, and IShowSpeed is not handling the news about his idol well.
After finding out Ronaldo’s days with Portugal are done, an emotional Speed appeared on stream Thursday (Nov. 5), where he was immediately trolled in the comments.
When he saw the video of Cristiano’s retirement announcement, Speed was moved to tears.
“What the fuck did I just watch?” he asked. “Ain’t no damn way … Nobody talk about the work he put in for his country. Everybody overlook that shit. Y’all overlook it!”
Speed also went over to the Instagram post of Ronaldo’s announcement and left a comment.
“Obrigado Ronaldo forever the GOAT, thank you for everything you've done,” the streamer wrote. “You inspired so many people and I love you so thank you always supporting you.”
In his retirement announcement, Ronaldo said he will be returning the No. 7 jersey, which he first wore in May 2008, after the number was vacated by Luís Figo.
“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 jersey of our National team,” he said. “I never felt it belonged to me alone. But for 23 years, I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world. Today, the time has come to pass it on to the future.”
According to Eduardo Tansley of The Athletic, Portugal must assign consecutive numbers to the players on its squad when competing in FIFA and FIFA confederation tournaments.
Following Ronaldo’s sudden departure from Portugal’s team camp during group stage play of the UEFA Nations League, Rafael Leão wore the No. 7 shirt for the next two matches.
Ronaldo exited the national team’s camp in late September following a reported meeting with Portuguese Football Federation President Pedro Proenca and Portugal head coach Jorgue Jesus.
“In time, I will tell all the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led to my departure from the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself,” the player said in a statement.
Ronaldo later confirmed reports that his departure centered around a fallout with Jesus, claiming the Portugal head coach broke two promises when he never brought him into a game after having him warm up, and then displayed "an aggressiveness that I believe I did not deserve.”
“It was not an easy decision,” Ronaldo said in his retirement announcement. “Because some decisions are not made with the mind alone. They are also made with the heart. A journey that began in August 2003, and changed my life forever, has come to an end.”
