It has been a day of high-profile retirements in the footballing world. Barely hours after Wales superstar Gareth Bale announced he was stepping away from club and international football, France captain Hugo Lloris has also announced his retirement from international football. 

The 36-year-old goalkeeper conveyed his decision during an interview with French sports daily L'Equipe, bringing curtains on what has been a glittering career for the Les Bleus.  

"I have decided to stop my international career, with the feeling that I have given everything. I think it is important to announce this now, two and a half months before the start of Euro qualifying."

Lloris said he had been contemplating the decision for a long time which got exacerbated during the World Cup. 

"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."

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper added that the time had come to pass the baton and that he was going out on 'top', having lead team to the World Cup finals for a second consecutive time. 

"There is a goalkeeper who is ready (Maignan), and I need a bit more time for me, for my family and for my children. I prefer to go out at the top, having helped France get to a World Cup final."

As a French player, Lloris played in seven major tournaments and won the World Cup 2018 in Russia. Two years later, he was a pivotal part of the squad that won the UEFA Nations League against Spain. 

Lloris donned the 'blue' of French a record 145 times since making his debut way back in 2008 as a 21-year-old in a friendly against Uruguay. He surpassed Lilian Thuram's mark of 142 appearances during the Qatar World Cup. In total, he kept 53 clean sheets for his country.

However, during the twilight years of his international career, Lloris often came under heavy scrutiny for his playing style.

Some football pundits critiqued that while Lloris was an excellent distributor of the football, he was not as effective a ball stopper as the top level of the game required. 

During the FIFA 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, Lloris failed to keep a clean sheet and could not save a single penalty during the shootout. 

Argentina won the game 4-2 on penalties after the epic game ended 3-3 after two-quarters of the extra time. 

Lloris also came under fire after several media reports suggested that it was his dislike for Karim Benzema that forced the Real Madrid striker out of the World Cup squad.

Source: WION

BDST: 1118 HRS, JAN 10, 2023
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