The boy in the Manchester United shirt and the legend who gave me a lifetime of memories

There are footballers you admire, there are footballers you celebrate, and then there are footballers who become a part of your life. For me, Cristiano Ronaldo has always been the third. I still remember watching him as a young boy in a Manchester United shirt. It was around 2006. He was this incredibly gifted, flamboyant young winger with tricks, pace, confidence and an almost unbelievable ability to make defenders look ordinary. The stepovers, the flicks, the celebrations, the determination to take on anyone who stood in front of him. There was something about that young boy wearing the no. 7 shirt that made me fall in love with football all over again.

Little did I know that the footballer I was watching on television would go on to become such a huge part of my growing-up years. I grew up watching Cristiano Ronaldo. I watched him transform from that exciting young Manchester United winger into one of the most complete footballers the game has ever witnessed. I watched him win his first Premier League titles, lift the Champions League trophy in 2008, win his first Ballon d'Or and eventually conquer Spain with Real Madrid. Every goal, every trophy, every record felt personal.

I have celebrated with him, screamed at the television, jumped with joy and, yes, I have cried with him too. There have been moments when his happiness felt like my happiness and his disappointment genuinely hurt. And then there was Portugal. If watching Ronaldo in club football was special, watching him represent his country was an entirely different emotion. I remember the heartbreak of Euro 2004, when a young Ronaldo cried after Portugal lost the final to Greece. I remember the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when he helped Portugal reach the semi-finals. I followed him through the heartbreaks of 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, always hoping that one day he would get to lift a major international trophy.

For years, that one dream remained unfinished.

Then came July 10, 2016. I don't think I will ever forget that night. Portugal were playing France in the European Championship final. Ronaldo, their captain and talisman, had to leave the pitch in tears after picking up an injury in the first half. Watching him being carried off, visibly devastated, was heartbreaking. But he never stopped being involved. He stood on the sidelines, encouraged his teammates, shouted instructions and lived every second of that final. And when Eder scored that goal in extra time, I was overjoyed.

Portugal were European champions. Cristiano Ronaldo was finally a major international champion. The boy who had cried in 2004 was now lifting the European Championship trophy as captain. I cannot explain how happy that moment made me. It felt like a personal victory, almost as if I had been waiting alongside him for all those years. That was the beauty of following Ronaldo. You weren't just watching a superstar collect trophies. You were watching someone overcome disappointment, criticism, expectations and setbacks to reach the top.

Portugal will always be in me: Ronaldo

The years that followed brought more unforgettable memories. His stunning hat-trick against Spain at the 2018 World Cup remains one of the greatest individual performances I have witnessed. The way he scored that free-kick, the determination in his eyes and the iconic celebration made it another moment to remember. There was the heartbreak of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he walked down the tunnel in tears after Portugal's elimination. It was painful to watch someone who had given so much to the game experience that kind of disappointment.

Euro 2020, Euro 2024 and all those years of watching him wear the Portugal shirt brought their own emotions. The goals, the records, the celebrations, the criticism and the constant scrutiny. Through it all, he remained Cristiano Ronaldo. And then came 2026. I had hoped this would be the fairytale ending. His final World Cup. One last opportunity to win the one trophy that had eluded him throughout his extraordinary career. Portugal had a talented squad, immense expectations and a genuine belief that they could go all the way.

But football doesn't always give you the endings you dream of. Portugal's journey ended in the Round of 16 against Spain. A 1-0 defeat, and with it, the end of Ronaldo's World Cup journey. Six World Cups, an extraordinary collection of records, but no World Cup winner's medal. I would have loved to see him lift that trophy. I really would have. Not because he needed it to validate his greatness, but because I wanted to see him experience that happiness after everything he had given to the game and his country.

And then came November 5, 2026. The announcement that Cristiano Ronaldo was retiring from international football. I knew this day would eventually arrive. We all did. Footballers grow older, generations change and even the greatest careers must come to an end. But knowing something is inevitable doesn't make it any easier when it actually happens. The thought of not seeing him walk out in that Portugal no. 7 shirt again, not hearing his name during the national anthem, not watching him lead his country into another international battle, is difficult to process.

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For 23 years, he wore that shirt. He scored 146 international goals, made 234 appearances and gave Portugal memories that will last generations. He became the first footballer to score at six different World Cups. He captained his country to the European Championship in 2016 and the Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025. But numbers have never been the reason I loved watching him.

It was the passion. The hunger. The refusal to give up. The celebrations after a goal, the tears after a defeat, the way he kept pushing himself even when the world questioned him. It was watching a young boy from Madeira turn himself into a global sporting phenomenon. I started watching him as a young boy in 2006. Almost two decades later, I am still watching him. The difference is that I am no longer that little boy sitting in front of the television, mesmerised by his Manchester United tricks. I have grown up, and so has the footballer I once looked up to.

Perhaps that's what makes this goodbye so emotional. It isn't just about a footballer retiring from international football. It is about saying goodbye to a chapter of my own life. I have cried with him. I have celebrated with him. I have defended him in arguments, stayed up to watch his games and felt an inexplicable happiness every time he found the back of the net.

And I would do it all over again. Cristiano Ronaldo may have handed back the Portugal no. 7 shirt, but he will never hand back the memories he has given millions of us. His journey with Portugal might be over, but his journey in football isn't quite finished.

For me, he will always be that young boy in the Manchester United shirt who made me fall in love with football. Thank you, Cristiano. For the goals, the trophies, the tears, the celebrations and, above all, the memories. Siuuuuu.