Spartak Moscow midfielder Aleksandr Samedov, who announced his retirement from the national team after Russia’s elimination from this summer’s FIFA World Cup, said on Monday that his wife was due to give birth in August and that he wanted to spend more time with his kids.
Russia bowed out of the World Cup after losing to Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
“It wasn’t a tough decision. I considered everything ahead of the tournament and understood that it would be my last [tournament]. I told my wife about it, and she supported me, since we are expecting a baby in August. I want to spend more time with my children,” Samedov said in a video published on the Russian Football Union’s YouTube channel.
He added that he was proud to play for the national team and that the 2017 Confederations Cup and the World Cup in Russia were “a fairy-tale.” Samedov, who is already a father of two sons, earned 53 caps for Russia and scored seven goals since the 33-year-old made his senior debut in 2011.