Rio Ferdinand officially retires from international football

MU center back Rio Ferdinand has officially retired from international football. Rio's announcement was posted on the English Football Association and MU's homepages today (May 15).

Rio Ferdinand officially retires from England national team - Getty Images

Thus, the match against Switzerland in the EURO 2012 qualifiers on June 6, 2011 was also the last time Rio wore the England shirt. In total, the MU central defender has played 81 times for the Three Lions since his debut in a friendly match against Cameroon at Wembley in 1997.

“After much thought, I have decided that now is the right time for me to retire from international football. At 34, I feel that the time has come for me to step aside to allow the younger players to develop and allow me to focus on my club,” Rio said.

Ferdinand has represented England at every level, from Under-17 to captaining the Three Lions, and has played in three World Cups. However, at EURO 2012 last summer, Rio was left out of the squad by Roy Hodgson for “footballing reasons” amid a row with the Manchester United centre-back John Terry.

Ferdinand was named in the England squad for two 2014 World Cup qualifiers last March after Terry retired from the Three Lions, but the MU midfielder eventually withdrew to ensure his fitness to fight for MU.

Rio did not play for England during this time due to physical reasons but flew to Qatar to be a football commentator, making Three Lions fans extremely angry. They even booed Rio during England's 8-0 win over San Marino.

According to Thethaovanhoa - DT