Portugal midfielder Luis Figo has announced his retirement from the national team.
The decision comes after an illustrious career in which Figo won 110 caps and scored 31 goals.
“I think the time has come to take a break. I don’t know if it will be forever, because I will never refuse to serve my country and because no one can predict the future, but at this moment I feel the need to stop,” he said in a statement.
The 31-year-old player, who said last month he would start planning for a future away from Real Madrid in December, added he believed a new generation of players had emerged.
“At Euro 2004, which filled us all with pride, we saw a new group of footballers emerge who are capable of guaranteeing the level Portuguese football has achieved in the last decade,” said Figo.
Portugal reached the finals of Euro 2004, losing 1-0 to Greece.
Figo, who made his senior debut for Portugal in October 1991 in a 1-1 draw against Luxembourg.
