Playing for a club gets you money, playing for your country is supposed to get you pride. However it still comes with the risk of injury, the need for a travel and all-round bother that many players would probably prefer to do without. Has there ever been a case of a footballer who would otherwise make his national team explicitly stating he’s not interested in internationals as the downsides outweigh his interest?
Dozens. But they just call it retiring from international duty. Its quite common, especially among players entering their thirties who are perfectly fit, but are looking 3/4 years ahead and trying to prolong their career as much as possible.
Playing for your country is more than just pride, it also increases your market value having the words “XYX International” before your name. I have always felt that Arteta not being a Spanish international (no idea why he was never called up) was one of the reasons he was shortchanged in where he went.
Besides retirement as mentioned above, the other common situation arises when a player is potentially eligable for multiple national teams and wishes to play for one, while being called up for another. Zidane turned down Algeria and Ryan Giggs England.
Other than the above, well refusing to play for your national team is rare, and will reflect poorly on a player. Even retired players come under pressure occasionally, like Scholes and Shearer often did.
Giggs was born in Wales to Welsh parents and grandparents. he was never eligible to play for England. He would be if he played otday, but the rules on national eligibility were more strict back in the 90s.
Paul Scholes retired from international duty when he was 29 and easily the best English midfielder playing at that time. At club level he had that archetypal quality of great players in that he made those around him play better - this is why Nicky Butt owns six league championship medals. One of the very few English players of that time who had the game
to play in any league of the world. He could never consistently re-create that form at international level [along with everyone else in an England shirt, it should be said], and retired cited family reasons.
I am sure this was true, but it was also down to frustrations with how under-performing the England team were due to lack of leadership [he himself was not a leader but played in a Utd team with very strong managerial and team leadership].
It’s really tough to get a strong team ethic and winning mentality instilled at international level - I think the mighty Spain side of a few years back was really exceptional in that regard. Look at Belgium now - Arguably the most talented roster of players in the world but they’ve never properly threatened to win a world cup or european championship. THe players go from the safe, winning environment of their clubs where everyone is kissing their arse, to an international game with a comedian as manager, play shite and get pilloried for it. It’s not exactly a fun experience.
I think the Germans and Spanish before them and the Brazilians for decades have shown that success in international football comes from bringing players up from U-21 and U-17 level, not so much club level.
Spain used to suck horribly despite having great players. Look at their all-conquering 2008, 2010, 2012 sides. Most of the players were from Barca academy and even the ones who were not, like Torres,Villa, Casilias, Alonso, Ramos etc all had played which each other at U-21, U-19, U-17 level so were familiar with each other and the Barca lot.
Look at Argentina’s perennial failures as another team that gives little shift to junior internationals.
One that springs to mind is Duncan Ferguson. He retired from international football early in his career after he felt the Scottish FA had treated him harshly over a ban. I think it was when he head-butted an opponent but other reasons may have contributed in his refusal to play.
Im of the opinion no-one has a damned clue how to successfully produce a winning international team other than perhaps the Germans. Even when it comes to the German’s its quite possibly luck and Teutonic genes. Almost every nation has it’s successful period. During this successful period international coaches come in and tell us we must copy whatever national system is currently lauded. For five years or so it was the Dutch, then the Danes, then France, then Italy, France again, then Portugal, then Spain. It’s currently Belgium.
I may be a bit flippant with my above comment but I don’t think im entirely wrong. Whichever country is doing especially well is copied by numerous others before the next fashionable coaching set-up & system comes along.
Yes, Johan Cruijff stopped playing international games in 1977, at age 30 and still in the prime of his career.
Reasons are mostly due to contracts about outfits they wore. He had a personal contract with one brand, the KNVB (dutch soccer association) had one with another.
One could argue that with Cruijfff, they might have had more luck in the 1978 world cup finals (though in '74 they came up short in the finals as well)
Edit: Actually apparently he was an ass about compensation & contracts his entire international career.