2018 World Cup Winner Hugo Lloris Retires From International Football

New Delhi: Just within 24 hours of Gareth Bale calling it a day from football, Tottenham keeper and 2018 FIFA World Cup winner with France Hugo Lloris has decided to quit from international duties.

“I have decided to stop my international career, with the feeling that I have given everything,” Lloris told L’Equipe on Monday.

“I think it is important to announce this now, two and a half months before the start of Euro qualifying”, he added.

Lloris appeared in 145 matches for Les Blues and kept a total of 63 clean sheets. He has played in 7 major international tournaments and apart from winning the World Cup, he has won the Nations League and was a finalist in Euro 2016.

“I have really been thinking about it since the end of the World Cup, but there has been something deep inside of me for maybe six months now and which grew during the competition, leading me to make this decision,” Lloris said.

“I have really been thinking about it since the end of the World Cup, but there has been something deep inside of me for maybe six months now and which grew during the competition, leading me to make this decision,” he told.

“There comes a time when you need to step aside. I have always said the French national team does not belong to any one person,”

“There is a goalkeeper who is ready, and I need a bit more time for me, for my family and for my children”, Lloris hinted about Mike Maignan, the AC Milan keeper, who missed the World Cup squad due to injury.

“To have been the France goalkeeper for 14 and a half seasons is a big deal, but it is also mentally exhausting and I hope clearing some time for myself will allow me to keep playing at the highest level for a few more years”, he further added.