Uruguay’s Boca Juniors striker Edinson Cavani announced his retirement from international football on Thursday.
A 2011 Copa America winner, the 37-year-old Cavani is Uruguay’s second-most capped player (136) and second-highest scorer (58) behind Luis Suarez, having made his debut in a 2-2 draw with Colombia in a friendly in February 2008.
Cavani had been selected by coach Marcelo Bielsa to play in Copa America that starts on June 20 in the United States.
“They were undoubtedly many precious years, I would have a thousand things to say, tell and remember, but today I want to dedicate myself to this new stage of my career and give everything where I have to be,” Cavani wrote on Instagram.
“Today (Thursday) I decide to take a step aside, but I will always follow you with a beating heart, like when I used to go out on the pitch wearing this beautiful shirt.”
Strike partner Suarez dedicated his own message to the Boca Juniors forward, labelling him as someone who will go down in history for his efforts in an Uruguay shirt and wishing him all the best for the future.
“When we celebrated our first goal together we were two children who dreamed of taking our country to the top… Those children were growing up and experiencing unique things defending our beloved team.
“With sadness and joy we always wanted the same objective: for Uruguay to win and the flag to be well represented.
“Your name will always be marked in the history of our football and our country. As a Uruguayan, I thank you for everything you did for the national team.”
At club level, Cavani won six Ligue 1 titles and five French Cups with Paris St Germain between 2014 and 2020. He scored 200 goals in all competitions for the Parisian club.
Cavani also played for Napoli, winning the 2011-12 Coppa Italia, and Manchester United. He joined Boca Juniors in July 2023 after parting ways with La Liga side Valencia.
Interim relief
Lucas Paqueta can continue to play for Brazil while he fights spot-fixing charges by the English Football Association, his national team said on Thursday.
Paqueta, who plays his club football for West Ham, is alleged to have deliberately received yellow cards during English Premier League matches to influence betting markets.
He was charged with misconduct on May 23 and faces a long ban if found guilty by English football authorities.
In a long statement on Thursday, the Brazilian Football Confederation said it was aware of the allegations and contacted the English FA for information.
