“Your legacy will live forever!”: Golovkin reacts to Ronaldo's decision

Former middleweight world champion and living legend of the boxing world, Gennady Golovkin, has reacted to the decision of Cristiano Ronaldo to end his career with the Portuguese national team. The 41-year-old football star's farewell to the national team is resonating widely across the sports world.

Ronaldo had commented "Portugal will always be in my heart" on the emotional farewell video he posted on social media. Under this post, the famous Kazakhstani boxer also shared his sincere thoughts.

"A true legend": Respect from Golovkin to Cristiano

Gennady Golovkin specifically noted the Portuguese captain's incomparable contribution to world sports:

• Source of inspiration: "A true legend. Continue to inspire people all over the world!" wrote Golovkin;

• Enduring legacy: "Your legacy will live forever!" the renowned master of the ring said, highly praising the football star's career.

A great 23-year reign in numbers

Cristiano Ronaldo's statistics in the national team jersey remain one of the highest peaks in sports history:

• A journey that began in 2003: He has continuously and worthily defended the honor of the Portuguese national team since 2003;

• Absolute world record: The forward appeared in a total of 234 matches for the national team, scoring 146 goals;

• Historic gold trophies: As captain, Ronaldo won the 2016 European Championship with Portugal and lifted the UEFA Nations League trophy twice, in 2019 and 2025.