"Thank you for letting me take all the free kicks": biting German mockery of Ronaldo's farewell
German reaction beyond expectations to Don's international retirement
German magazine "11 Freunde" couldn't resist adding its satirical touch to Cristiano Ronaldo's announcement that he was retiring from international football with Portugal. The publication posted the farewell video alongside a sarcastic German translation bearing no relation to the words actually spoken by the Portuguese star.
Ronaldo confirmed his Portugal retirement yesterday, Thursday, in a five-minute video clip thanking everyone who had been alongside him across 23 years in the national team shirt. The message landed just one day before Jorge Jesus names his new squad.
Watch the farewell video published by Ronaldo
International media pounced on the decision, rushing to mark the end of the Portugal captain's career with tributes and praise for his legacy. The German magazine took a different route, choosing to send him off with a joke.
"11 Freunde" ran the video with a German translation written by Tobias Ahrens, a man known for his satirical work. He swapped the content of Ronaldo's message for a fictional text mocking some of the forward's behaviour on the pitch.
The spoof translation read: "Guys, listen to me for a moment. I'll be direct: I'm retiring. I just wanted to thank you all, especially for playing along with me in that nonsense called the (Siu) celebration. I swear to you, at first it was nothing more than a bet with Marcelo. I thought grown men wouldn't jump in the air, spin around and shout, but what did you do? You imitated me".
It continued: "Thank you also for letting me take all the free kicks, even though the last one that went into the net was 5 years ago. And thank you that nobody laughed when I used to pull my shorts up as high as possible, until my kidneys almost showed. It has been an honour for me. Take care of my records".
Ronaldo brings down the curtain on a 23-year career since his Portugal debut. He played 234 matches, scored 146 goals and won three titles, most notably Euro 2016, along with two UEFA Nations League crowns.
