Hosseini announces retirement from national duty
Hosseini announces retirement from national duty

 The long-serving member of Team Melli Jalal Hosseini officially bid farewell to his international football career. In an Instagram post on Saturday, Hosseini announced his retirement from national duty and appreciated all the fans and coaches for their support during these years. He made 116 appearances for Iran national football team in 11 years, scoring […]

 The long-serving member of Team Melli Jalal Hosseini officially bid farewell to his international football career.

In an Instagram post on Saturday, Hosseini announced his retirement from national duty and appreciated all the fans and coaches for their support during these years.

He made 116 appearances for Iran national football team in 11 years, scoring eight goals. His international career began back in February 2007 when he debuted Team Melli in a friendly match against Belarus, Tehran Times reported.

The 36-year-old defender was surprisingly eliminated from the 2018 World Cup final 23. Some believe that the tensions between Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic and Team Melli coach Carlos Queiroz were the reason behind this dropping. However, Queiroz once said that he is after creating a younger team.

His decision for retirement comes as his hope for representing Iran in 2019 AFC Asian Cup was fading away.

Hosseini played an essential role in steering Persepolis to back-to-back titles in Iran Professional League and to the team’s vice-championship in 2018 AFC Champion League.

He is slated to hold a press conference in Tehran on Sunday to discuss his decision in detail.