Guinea international Abdoul Camara has been forced to retire from football due to a heart condition.
The 28-year-old striker has been advised to stop playing with immediate effect.
“I cannot go on because I’m at risk of cardiac arrest or dying on the pitch like a lot of other players,” he told French website footmercato.
Last month his French club Guingamp announced that he would not play for the club again, due to medical reasons.
“We have to move on, even if it’s hard to accept,” Camara said.
“I’ve been waiting for the news for three weeks. I tried to stay strong just in case.
“Since I was 13, my life is football. I had struggled to come back after my cruciate ligament injury. And there, you are told that you will never wear a football shirt again.
“We can say that it is an evil for a good. But I have not yet digested this. You can not digest that fast. I need time.
“Yes, it’s not like an injury where you can fight back. With this I can not do anything. Everything falls apart at that moment.”
He has won 10 caps for Guinea since his début at the 2012 African Cup of Nations, coming on as a substitute for Alhassane Bangoura in a 1-0 loss against Mali. He scored twice in three matches during the group stage of the tournament, including the 1-1 stalemate against Ghana.