Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez has announced his retirement from international football after Algeria’s World Cup journey came to an end, following a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland in the Round of 32, www.aclsports.com reports.
Mahrez, who would be 39 at the next World Cup, revealed that the game against the Swiss side in Vancouver was his last appearance for the Fennec Foxes.
“It’s my last appearance, even with the national team. It was my last game,” the 2019 AFCON winner, who featured in his last AFCON in January, said.
“There were good times and difficult times as well, of course. That’s part of a career. But representing Algeria has been a dream of mine ever since I was young, to play for my country. It’s been an immense honor and a great source of pride. It is the new generation’s turn to play,” the former Manchester City winger concluded.
It was a bittersweet conclusion to an impressive World Cup campaign this summer, in which he recorded three goal involvements in four appearances. He netted twice against Austria and also registered an assist versus Jordan, with no Algerian player ever delivering a better return in a single edition of the tournament.
The 35-year-old, who now plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, retires with the second-most appearances for Algeria (119) and the second-most goals (40).
Born in France, Mahrez qualified to represent Algeria through his Algerian father and Algerian-Moroccan mother. He made his debut for Algeria in 2014. He notably captained the Desert Foxes to glory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – their first continental title since 1990.
