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Representing one’s country on the international stage in any sporting event is a dream for many individuals. Many footballers work hard to realise this dream and some are talented enough to make the dream come true. However, there comes a time when players have to quit international football for varied reasons. In some cases, it may be because age is catching up with them, in others it is to make way for the younger generation to slowly settle into the team and it can even be because of diminished contributions to the side.Many world class players like Paul Scholes, Philipp Lahm and Per Mertesacker have retired early due to different reasons and here is a list of five famous players who should consider quitting international football at the earliest.
#1 Arjen Robben - Netherlands
Arjen Robben was an integral member of the Dutch squad that finished second and third at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup respectively. In fact, the Bayern Munich winger was one of the nominees for the Golden Ball award last year in Brazil. However, almost a year after their brilliant show in South America, the Oranje now find themselves out of contention for Euro 2016, even failing to qualify for the playoffs round.
Robben, aged 31, was one of the better performers for the Dutch side during their disastrous qualifying phase. But the Netherlands captain now needs to wait for Russia 2018 at least to represent his nation at a major tournament and that depends on the team qualifying for the tournament in the first place.
The former Chelsea winger has been at the receiving end of several injuries recently and last season he was out for around three months with two different injuries. He started the current season brightly before suffering another injury while he was away on international duty and this one has kept him out for nearly two months.
With age not on his side, his injury problems and Netherlands’ absence from Euro 2016, it would be wise if Robben pulls the plug on his international career to concentrate on his club career. If the Dutchman leaves now, it gives them enough time for a highly rated youngster, like Anwar Al Ghazi, to settle into the Dutch team in his place.
#2 Iker Casillas - Spain
Iker Casillas captained the Spanish football team to two Euro titles and a World Cup win in recent years. But the Spanish shot-stopper is clearly no longer the player that stopped Arjen Robben in two separate one-on-one situations in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.
Casillas, a legendary figure at Real Madrid, was let go by the club in the summer after his performance graph dipped considerably as he became more error prone. However, he continues to be the first choice for Spain even after the emergence of David De Gea, who was the number one candidate to replace Casillas at Real Madrid.
The former Real Madrid captain is currently 34, and with each passing year he is becoming a shadow of his former self. On the other hand, De Gea has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League in the last two seasons and it is high time the Manchester United man is made Spain’s number one.
De Gea stood in goal for Spain for their last qualifying game against Ukraine as the nation already earned qualification and the 24-year-old made 10 saves on the night to help Spain register a win.
Spain’s defence is in safer hands with De Gea at the moment and the sooner Casillas retires the better it is for Spain, as Vicente Del Bosque seems to be in no mood to make De Gea first choice.
#3 Robinho - Brazil
Robinho was once one of the highly rated youngsters in football after he earned a move to Real Madrid from Santos in Brazil. However, the Brazilian never fulfilled his potential and his career has spiraled downwards. He now plays in China for Guangzhou Evergrande which speaks volumes about how much justice he has done to his talent.
The Brazilian was overlooked by Luiz Felipe Scolari for the 2014 FIFA World Cup despite the host nation’s obvious striker issues. He was later recalled by Dunga and even scored once during the 2015 Copa America, but his performance was not convincing enough to be named in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers. In fact, Dunga has picked 35-year-old Ricardo Oliveira ahead of Robinho for all the games since the Copa America.
Aged 31, the striker is not getting called up to a team that needs one and this is an indication that he is no longer seen as an important player. Robinho should follow the footsteps of Fred who retired after the 2014 FIFA World Cup after realising that he could no longer contribute effectively for Brazil.
If Robinho retires now, Brazil fans will at least remember him as the top scorer at the 2007 Copa America which the nation won instead of a player who struggled to get a chance to play for the team.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Sweden
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been the best player in the Swedish side for over a decade now and he is also the country’s leading goal scorer with 59 goals. The 34-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker has helped his team to different international tournaments but was unfortunate to miss out on the 2014 FIFA World Cup despite his brilliant individual efforts in the playoff game against Portugal.
It is clear that Sweden do not possess the best team and they now need to defeat Denmark in the Euro 2016 playoffs to be part of the tournament in France. This is not an easy task by any means as the Danish side did well during the qualifying stage and conceded just five goals in their eight games.
If Sweden fail to qualify for Euro 2016, Ibrahimovic should then draw curtains on his international career. After all, he isn’t getting any younger.
Ibrahimovic had a very good fitness record earlier but has now missed several games due to injuries since the start of the 2014/15 season. In such a scenario, international games will be an added burden for the PSG hitman. If the hope of playing in the Euro is over in November, there is no reason left for him to continue playing for Sweden.
A quick retirement will at least help him play at the club level for an extended period while Sweden rebuild a side without him for the World Cup qualifiers.
#5 Robin van Persie - Netherlands
Almost a year ago, Robin van Persie was an internet sensation after his fantastic header against Spain during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Now, the Dutchman’s unfortunate headed own goal against the Czech Republic killed any hopes Netherlands had of qualifying for Euro 2016. How the mighty have fallen.
Fitness has always been an issue for the former Arsenal and Manchester United man and, at the age of 32, the added burden of playing international games won’t do him any good. Moreover, Van Persie is no longer the striker who won the PFA Player of the Season award and he often finds himself on the bench at club level because of the younger Fernandao and at international level because of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Van Persie will be almost 35 by the time Russia 2018 comes around and, considering the rate at which his performance level is dropping with age, he will no longer be in the first team picture.
Netherlands don’t have many young strikers who are in the first team at the moment. If Van Persie retires, the Dutch will be forced to find someone to lead the attack in the future. His early retirement will give the team more time to do the same and if some player makes the cut, then he will have ample time to adapt with the squad as well.
