Wednesday Oct 02, 2019. 10:00
Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia has announced his retirement from international football after more than a decade with the Atlas Lions.
The 32-year-old, who also previously skippered the team, made 52 appearances, which included four Africa Cup of Nations finals and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
“I spoke to coach Vahid Halilhodzic 10 days ago and I informed him that I will retire from international duty,” Benatia told BeIN sports.
“I spent 11 years with the national team and I did my best with them. Playing for your country is a great honour and I am satisfied with my performance during the past 11 years.
“But it is painful to hear someone saying Benatia is the one who picks the players of the national team and chooses the matches to play.”
France-born Benatia played for the French Under-17 side, but also switched over to Morocco in that age-group, as well as the Under-20s.
His club career included stints with Marseille, AS Roma, Bayern Munich and Juventus, while he is currently with Qatari side Al-Duhail.
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