Roma midfielder, Radja Nainggolan has announced his retirement from international football after he was left out of Belgium’s World Cup squad for this summer’s tournament by coach Roberto Matinez.
The 30-year-old Nainggolan who helped Italian club side, AS Roma reach the European Champions League semi-finals made the revelation on Monday via his account on Instagram.
“Very reluctantly my international career comes to an end. I’ve always done everything I could to represent my country,” Nainggolan posted.
Responding to questions on why he left out the midfielder, Martinez said: “Radja Nainggolan is a top player. The reason is tactical. In the past two years the team has worked in a specific manner. Other players had those roles.
“We know Radja has a very important role in his club and we cannot give him that role in our squad. Every player in the squad has got a different level of fatigue. That is why we will start the preparation with 28 players,” added Martinez.
Among the players listed in the provisional Belgian team to the World Cup to be hosted by Russia include the quartet of Manchester City’s duo of Kevin de Bruyne and Vincent Kompany, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United.
There had been doubts over a place for Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke but he has made the initial squad, along with Chelsea forward, Michy Batshuayi who went on loan to German side, Borussia Dortmund in January but suffered an ankle ligament injury in April.
The Belgian side, who are in the same group with England, Tunisia and Panama will have its present squad which consists of 15 English Premier League players trimmed down to 23 on or before 4 June.
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