Dirk Kuyt retires from Football

Former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect.

The 34-year-old will now be focusing on his club career in order to continue playing for a few more years. He goes out of international football with his head held high after making more than 100 appearances for the national team. Even though he has not been a renowned goal scorer, Dirk Kuyt has always received a glowing praises from his teammates during the unselfish work that he puts on the pitch. This was especially evident in during his Liverpool career when Dirk Kuyt started playing more on the right wing because of his defensive attributes.

Despite his age,Kuyt was part of the national team that did well at the World Cup 2014 and finished third in the tournament. After having scored only 24 goals during his international career,Kuyt may have regrets about not scoring enough. The striker has done well to hide the sentiments after saying that this was a good time for him to say goodbye. The Dutch national team are expected to undergo a transition over the next few years with the likes of Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie on the verge of retirements.Kuyt is currently with Turkish outfit Fenerbahce after his £ 1 million move from Liverpool in 2012.

"This goodbye is hard for me.In one fell swoop, I'm no longer an international, but an Oranje fan. It's all still very fresh.I'll miss everything about it but perhaps the goosebumps you get during the national anthem most of all.I consider playing for my country as the greatest honour there is and I'm thankful I had that opportunity," said the striker. His international teammates like Robin van Persie have said that there have been few unselfish players like Kuyt.