Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure has disclosed he will call time on his international career after 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Liverpool centre-back will bring to an end an international career with the Elephants of Ivory Coast that has spanned 15 years.
He stated that he wants his international career to "finish on a high" after disappointments of failing to win a major trophy with the Golden Generation of Ivory Coast.
Toure also talked on being torn between club and country ahead of the Afcon in Equatorial Guinea.
"My career has been great," he told the Liverpool Echo. "This kind of situation when you leave your club during the season is always difficult. What do you do as a player? It's tough. You don't like to miss matches for your club. But when the time comes, for us as Africans, we want to make our continent and our country proud."
He continued: "At the end of the day, I'm African, I'm from the Ivory Coast. If I get a call from my country I have to go. I am finished after this. I hope I will finish on a high."
The Ivorian defender has also expressed concern that his Liverpool career could be affected by his absence this month and possibly the first week of February should Ivory Coast reach the last four of the Afcon.
Toure joins up with Ivory Coast this week ahead of the Afcon after featuring for the last four minutes of Liverpool's 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup third round on Monday night.
"I know that while I'm in Africa other players will play [for Liverpool] and I won't be able to help the team. All I can do is go there, do my best, then come back and fight to show that I'm still a top player.
"If I get the chance to stay for another year, I will be happy - but it's not up to me. If I was going to stay, I would maybe have expected to hear something by now.
"I don't think too much about the future. I will enjoy every single minute at this club and keep giving 100 per cent," Toure said.
Toure has appeared in six Afcon tournaments in 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013. The 2015 edition will be his seventh.
No comments:
Post a Comment
drop your comment about your football hero, their fashion style, like who dresses most, who drink most ,who hang out most like going to club , who plays with woman most and so on