England captain Steven Gerrard retires from international play
England captain Steven Gerrard has retired from international play, Gerrard announced through England's Football Association on Monday.
The 34-year-old Gerrard amassed 114 caps and scored 21 goals over his 14-year international career and was named England Player of the Year in 2007 and 2012. After debuting for the English national team in 2000, Gerrard went on to represent his country in six major tournaments, including World Cups in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
After having been named a replacement captain in 2010, Gerrard was named England's permanent captain in 2012 by new coach Roy Hodgson. In a statement, Gerrard said receiving the captaincy made him the "proudest man in the country."
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“I have enjoyed every minute of representing my country and it is a sad day for me knowing that I won’t pull on the England shirt again.
“This has been a very difficult decision, one of the toughest I’ve had to make in my career. I have agonised over this since coming back from Brazil and have spoken to family, friends and people close to me in the game before coming to this point."
Gerrard will continue his club career with Liverpool, where he's played since 1998.
In the 2014 World Cup, Gerrard and England failed to qualify for the knockout round after going winless in group play, drawing with Costa Rica and falling to Italy and Uruguay.
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- Ben Estes
