Republic of Ireland winger James McClean has announced his “heartbreaking” decision to retire from international football at the end of the year.
The 34-year-old has earned 102 caps for his country, reaching his century in a 3-0 Euro 2024 qualifier victory over Gibraltar in June.
McClean – currently his country’s joint fifth most-capped player – has scored 11 goals wearing the green jersey and plans to make his final appearance for Stephen Kenny’s side in their November 21 friendly against New Zealand.
Explaining his decision on social media, McClean wrote: “On February 20th 2012, I received my first call-up to represent my country.
“In all honestly, hand on heart, there are no words that could do justice to that feeling. Since then, 102 caps, 11 goals and two European Championships.
“Now, 11 years later, I have come to a point, one that truth be told you never think is going to come but here we are, where I am announcing my retirement from international football at the end of the 2023 season.
“The New Zealand match will be the last time that I will celebrate pulling on the green jersey as a player and give me a chance to say goodbye to the best fans in the world.
“It has the meant the absolute world and more to be able to pull on the green jersey with honour, step out onto a football pitch – especially at the Aviva Stadium – to represent our great country, standing singing Amhran na bhFiann ready to go out into battle with your fellow countrymen.
“Nothing has ever come close. I gave absolutely everything I had of myself to ensure that I did the jersey, the fans and the country proud, and know that I never took it for granted each time. I hope that showed.
“It will be heartbreaking not to be involved beyond this year, but I feel now is the right time to step aside without any regrets.
“I lived my own and every young Irish footballer’s dream – and represented this country with pride.”
McClean also thanked his managers, team-mates and staff, fans and wife Erin before concluding: “Thank you, Ireland – it’s been the biggest privilege and as always, an honour.”
Derry-born McClean joined League Two side Wrexham in August from Wigan on a one-season contract with an option for extension.
He has been the subject of controversy and abuse, particularly following his decision in 2012 to refuse to wear a poppy as part of Remembrance Day commemorations whilst playing for Sunderland.
While he began his international career with Northern Ireland as a junior, McClean ultimately decided to play for the Republic at senior level and made his debut in February 2012, when he came on as a late substitute in a friendly against the Czech Republic.
Good to be back: Cameron expresses joy, optimism as World Cup Girlz, JFF reconciled
For Tiffany Cameron, the past eight months have been a rollercoaster ride filled with uncertainty and challenges. But as she prepares to step back onto the international stage with Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz, the excitement and anticipation are palpable.
The return of Cameron, and other members of the senior Reggae Girlz 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad, comes after a prolonged dispute with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), which kept her sidelined from international duty.
They last represented the island in the Olympic Games qualifying playoff away to Canada, last September, but later withdrew their services citing a lack of payment and mistreatment from the country’s governing football body among their reasons.
With things now back to some semblance of normalcy, Cameron is eager to get going again, after the lengthy pause, as she also expressed delight at the prospects ahead.
“It always brings joy to my heart to represent Jamaica. It is a special opportunity, and at the same time, international duty is my home away from home,” Cameron told SportsMax.TV from her base in Spain.
“At times it was very difficult for me to accept that sometimes things behind the scenes with our federation and World Cup players were out of my control, but I knew things would fall into place eventually. While away, I still tuned into our (Jamaica’s) games whenever they were streamed online, and I was impressed by some of the young talent we have. It’s important to take note that everyone in our pool of players matters and can contribute in their own way. Having a larger pool of players will make our squad more competitive,” she added.
While her time away from the national team was difficult, Cameron's form at Real Betis in the Liga F has been on the up, as she heads the team’s scoring chart with six goals, despite playing lesser minutes than her strike partners.
In fact, the Canada-born player readily admitted adjusting to the style of play and the language barrier in Spain hasn't been easy, even moreso as her team has experienced a series of changes, both on and off the field. They are currently 12th on the standing.
Still, the experienced 32-year-old, who has paraded her skills in several countries across the world, is grateful, as always, for the opportunity to grow as a player.
“It’s challenging sometimes playing in Europe. As a black professional athlete, I am constantly having to adapt to different cultures and sometimes I miss being around those who share the same cultural background as me. It’s also a lot more challenging to score here because there were so many changes in the summer, eight players left and a whole new staff arrived. We’ve had to practically build a new team, but I believe if we stay in the league, I will score more goals next season and we will be higher in the table,” Cameron shared.
“The new coach has helped improve our situation on and off the field and I am very pleased about this. Since he has arrived, we have played six games under him, we won three, tied two and lost one. I’ve also managed to score three important goals in these six games, and I was selected by the league as MVP for two games. Those (MVP awards) meant a lot to me, and it is safe to say that I have proven my value in this environment,” she declared.
After such an intense period, a change of environment is always good for the mind, but Cameron has no intentions of easing up, especially with the Girlz first assignment back being a two-match friendly away to World Cup foes Brazil on June 1 and June 3.
Both teams crossed path at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups where Brazil won the first meeting 3-0, while the Girlz battled gallantly for a goalless stalemate last year, which booked their spot in the Round of 16.
“I’m excited to build from the World Cup because now we have a mix of World Cup players, a few new players and some young talent. It will be interesting to see how we progress, and we know we have two very challenging games ahead. We have to stay patient and disciplined defensively and know when it’s time to threaten Brazil’s backline,” she reasoned.
With Hubert Busby back at the helm as head coach of the Reggae Girlz, Cameron, who is one of 18 players of the World Cup squad called up for the Brazil games, is filled with optimism, and also has high expectations for both the coach and the team.
“In 2020 coach Busby was building a healthier foundation on and off the field for the Reggae Girlz. I expect him to continue to do that and I’m pleased to have him back. In a way this decision holds close to my heart because he was the coach who initially recruited me to play for Jamaica,” Cameron noted.
“He believed in my capabilities and knew I would bring value to the squad. That said, I expect communication and conditions to improve amongst players, staff and the federation moving forward,” she ended.
Arsenal's decision to let Miedema leave 'shocking and outrageous', says White
Arsenal's decision to let Vivianne Miedema leave the club has been described as "shocking" and "outrageous" by former Gunners striker Ellen White.
On Monday, Arsenal announced Miedema – the all-time record scorer in the Women's Super League with 79 goals in the competition – will depart when her contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Miedema helped Arsenal win the WSL title in 2018-19 and clinched the competition's Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20. In all competitions, she has scored 125 goals and added 50 assists in 172 appearances for the Gunners since arriving from Bayern Munich in 2017.
She has played just 13 games in 2023-24, however, having undergone knee surgery in March. That came after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury suffered in December 2022 sidelined her for 10 months.
Manchester City have been linked with a move for the Netherlands star, and White believes Arsenal will regret letting her go.
"I think it's an absolutely shocking decision by the club, to be honest," White told BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly.
"I just think it's shocking that they haven't shown her the love to want to keep her at the club.
"If she does want to go to someone else in the WSL, I hope she goes to that team and sticks two fingers up at Arsenal and scores a few goals and celebrates hard. It's just outrageous. She is not going to be short of offers."
Xavi has 'zero doubts' over Araujo's Barcelona future
Ronald Araujo’s Barcelona future is still undecided, but Xavi says he has "zero doubts" over the defender’s decision.
The Uruguayan has been offered a contract extension to keep him at the club beyond 2026, but Araujo is yet to sign it.
This season, he has made 36 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona, though he dropped to the bench for their win over Real Sociedad on Monday.
Asked about Araujo’s future on Wednesday, Xavi said: "I talk a lot with Araujo, and he knows what I think. There are zero doubts about his future on my side.
"He knows what I want for his future. I always try to speak honestly and sincerely and he’s happy here."
Reports suggest that Bayern Munich and Manchester United are interested in signing Araujo if he does decide to leave Barcelona.
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