The former European champion with Portugal announced his retirement » The message sent by Cristiano Ronaldo
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Friday, December 12, 2025 6:11 p.m. / Updated Friday, December 12, 2025 6:29 p.m.
Rui Patricio, the goalkeeper with the most selections in the history of the Portuguese national team, has announced his retirement at the age of 37, after being free of contract in recent months. The Portuguese Football Federation has officially announced that the former goalkeeper will be honored on Friday at 12pm in his native country for his “unique career” and “extraordinary longevity” in goal for Portugal.
Rui Patricio has collected 108 caps for the Portuguese national team, where he made his debut in 2010. He was the undisputed starter at EURO 2016, a tournament that the Lusitanians won, but also at the subsequent World and European Championships.
Rui Patricio's career in club teams
The Portuguese goalkeeper is associated with Sporting Lisbon, the club that trained him and gave him his debut in big football. There he evolved for more than a decade and became an iconic figure for his generation. After leaving the “lions” team, Patricio had a three-year experience in the Premier League, at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and then made the transition to Italy, at AS Roma, where he was coached by Jose Mourinho, his compatriot.
Last season, he defended Atalanta's goal in several games in Serie A, and he collected the most recent official minutes for Al Ain in the Club World Cup.
His career was marked by numerous achievements: he won the UEFA Europa Conference League with AS Roma, has three Portuguese Cups, three Super Cups and a League Cup with Sporting. At international level, he contributed to Portugal's success in the first edition of the League of Nations, in 2019, but also to the historic European title obtained in 2016, in France.
Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal captain and former generational colleague of Rui Patricio, sent him an emotional message after the retirement announcement:
“Thanks for everything, Rui! Congratulations on your career!”, the Portuguese from Al-Nassr commented on social networks.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Rui Patricio, Euro 2016 / photo: Imago Images
