Likewise, the former Real Madrid player regretted the conclusion of this enormous football career after being left out of the last Qatar World Cup.
“I humbly believe that this trajectory I deserved to finish due to a personal decision or because my performance was not up to the standards our National Team deserves, but not due to age or other reasons that, without having heard them, I have felt”.
Below is the full statement
“The time has come, the time to say goodbye to the National Team, our dear and exciting Red. This morning I received a call from the current National Team Manager who told me that he does not count and that he will not count on me, regardless of the level that I can show or how my sports career continues. With great regret, it is the end of a journey that I hoped would be longer and that it would end with a better taste in my mouth, on a par with all the successes we have achieved with our Red.
I humbly believe that this trajectory deserved to end due to a personal decision or because my performance was not up to what our National Team deserves, but not due to age or other reasons that, without having heard them, I have felt. Because being young or less young is not a virtue or a defect, it is just a temporary characteristic that is not necessarily related to performance or ability. I look with admiration and envy at Modric, Messi, Pepe… the essence, tradition, values, meritocracy and justice in football.
Unfortunately, that won’t be the case for me, because football is not always fair and football is never just football. For all this I assume it with this sadness that I want to share with you, but also with my head held high and very grateful for all these years and for all your support. I take with me indelible memories, all the titles we have fought for and celebrated together, and the tremendous pride of being the Spanish player with the most caps. This shield, this shirt and these fans, all of you, have made me happy.
I will continue to cheer on my country from home with the emotion of the privileged person who has been able to proudly represent it 180 times. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who always believed in me!”
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
