Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given has decided to retire from international football.
The Republic of Ireland ace, who won 125 caps for his country, made the announcement through his Twitter account.
He tweeted: “After a lot of thought and consideration, I have made the most difficult decision to retire from international football.
“It’s been a great honour and privilege to play and on occasion, captain the team. I wish to thank all the players, managers, staff and most importantly, the most wonderful fans in the world.”
Full of praise
Current Irish boss Giovanni Trapattoni was full of praise for the 36-year-old, telling the FAI website;
“I understand the difficult decision that Shay had to make and appreciate all of his efforts during his international career.
“He is a strong player with a great character and his love of playing for his country, always shone through.”
Trapattoni was informed of the decision on Monday afternoon by the former Newcastle and Manchester City shot stopper and the Irish Football Association released a statement shortly afterwards, adding that Given could still make himself available in a ‘goalkeeping emergency.’
Impeccable service
Given made his international debut aged just 19, when he featured in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Russia in February 1996.
For the next 16 years, he has given impeccable service to his country and played every minute of the 2002 World Cup and the Republic’s dismal Euro 2012 tournament, in which they lost every game in the group stages.
It gives the chance for new face behind the sticks, with Millwall’s David Forde and Keiren Westwood of Sunderland, battling to start in the friendly game with Serbia on Wednesday night.
However, they will do well to have the impact that Shay Given had on international football with the Republic of Ireland.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
Comments
Post a Comment