Victor Moses retires from Nigeria national team at 27, wants to focus on Chelsea

Published on: 15 August 2018
Victor Moses retires from Nigeria national team at 27, wants to focus on Chelsea
Victor Moses

Nigeria football ace Victor Moses has retired from the Super Eagles at 27 insisting he wants to focus on his career with English side Chelsea.

The winger made the shock announcement on Wednesday, just four weeks since the end of the 2018 World Cup in Russia where he was pivotal for the Super Eagles.

Moses said he wants to focus on his club career and allow the next generation of Nigeria stars to flourish.

The highlight of his career with Nigeria came in 2013 when he won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles.

“I would like to announced that after much thought I have made the decision to retire from playing international football," Moses said in the statement.

“I have experienced some of the best moments of my life wearing the Super Eagles shirt and have memories with me that will last a lifetime. Nothing will ever compete to what it felt like to represent Nigeria on behalf of our country.

“However I feel that now is the right time to step away in order to be able to focus fully on club career and my young family as well as to allow the next generation of Super Eagles stars the opportunity to step up and to flourish.

“We are blessed as a nation to have so many exciting young players coming through and now is their time.

“I have already spoken to the manager by telephone and would like to say thank you to him and his staff, the NFF and all of my teammates for all of their support over the years.

“Most importantly I would like to say thank you to the Nigerian people for believing in me and supporting me over the years. It’s meant the world to me and my family and I will always be a proud Nigerian supporting the team.

“Thank you for the memories and good luck to the team for the future.”

His decision to quit the Super Eagles has come as a surprise to many who see him as the future of the national team.

Moses is regarded as one of Nigeria's top legends having won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and made it to the last 16 of the 2014 World Cup.

The Nigerian winger says he took the decision few weeks after country’s unimpressive showing at the 2018 World Cup campaign where they were eliminated at the group stage.

Moses' last match for Nigeria was at the World Cup in Russia as a late Marcos Rojo winner saw the Super Eagles falling 2-1 to Argentina in their third and final match.

He scored his country’s equaliser in that game.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more