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The captain of the Portuguese national team, Luis Figo, and forward Pauleta announced their retirement from the national team after losing 3-1 to the German national team in the World Cup third-place match.
The 33-year-old L. Figo announced his decision after the match in an interview with one of the Portuguese television channels. In Saturday's match, the "Inter" defender appeared on the field at the end of the game, but managed to make a productive pass to Nuno Gomes, who scored a consolation goal.
One of the few players who represented both Spanish giants - "Barcelona" and Madrid's "Real" - the Portuguese player had already announced his retirement from the national team after the 2004 European Championship, where the hosts finished as runners-up. However, last year, the long-time team captain changed his mind.
L. Figo, who won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2001, has represented the Portuguese national team the most times, scoring 32 goals in over 127 matches.
"It's difficult to end a career with the national team this way," L. Figo said after the match. "But both I and the team gave our all."
"It's an honor to have been a part of this team," the Portuguese continued. "It's hard for me to leave the team after 15 years, but it's time to make this decision."
L. Figo started his career at Lisbon's "Sporting" and in 1995 moved to "Barcelona". After spending five years in Barcelona, he made a sensational move to Madrid's "Real", but later expressed dissatisfaction with the policies of the Royal Club and at the beginning of last season moved to "Inter".
L. Figo made his debut for the Portuguese national team in 1991 in a match against Luxembourg when he was only 18 years old. He later played in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 European Championships, as well as the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
Meanwhile, Pauleta is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Portuguese national team, scoring 47 goals in 87 matches. However, this World Cup was unsuccessful for the "PSG" forward, as he only scored one goal in the opening match against Angola.
"Pauleta is part of the team," defended the team's coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari. "His goals in the qualification stage helped us win, he was also part of the team."
