Dutch defender Daley Blind announces retirement from international football

New Delhi: The Netherlands defender Daley Blind has announced his retirement from international football after 108 games for the Oranje placing him fifth in the list of the most appearances for the country.  The former Ajax player took to social media to announce his decision and thank everyone involved in his journey for ‘so many beautiful moments.’

“It was an honour to wear the Orange shirt 108 times, for me that is the highest achievement as a player: representing your country. For eleven years I did everything I could to continue to wear that beautiful Orange shirt. It has brought me so much, so many beautiful moments. I cherish that,” read the post by Blind on Instagram.

After four years at Ajax, the defender joined Manchester United where he represented the Red Devils on 141 occasions before rejoining Ajax for a second time that lasted five years, making a total of 333 appearances across his two stints at the club, before joining Bayern Munich for a short six-month period which saw him join Girona in 2023 where he still plays.

Blind was in the Dutch squad that was eliminated by England in the semifinals of the 2024 European Championship, his fourth major international tournament for the team. Blind went on to state that the reason behind his retirement is the new talent generation in Dutch football and that the decision was made after talks with head coach Ronald Koeman. IANS

Also Read: Footballer Daley Blind undergoes a successful heart operation

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