Egypt's goalkeeper Essam El Hadary announced on Monday that he was retiring from the national team after making history and becoming the oldest football player to play in a World Cup match during the tournament in Russia.
"After reflecting at length and asking God, I have decided to retire from international football," El Hadary, 45, wrote on Facebook late Monday.
Nicknamed "High Dam", he won 159 caps for his country during a 22-year international career that saw him win the Africa Cup of Nations four times.
He debuted for the Pharoahs in 1996.
At the age of 45 years and 161 days, El Hadary smashed Colombian stopper Faryd Mondragon's record for oldest player at a World Cup when he took to the field against Saudi Arabia in Volgograd this summer.
He saved a penalty in the Pharaohs’ defeat 2-1 by Saudi Arabia.
El Hadary will remain goalie for Egypt's Ismaili team. He is celebrated in Egypt for winning three straight African Cup titles with him as goalie between 2006 and 2010.
Egypt’s star player Mohamed Salah hailed El Hadary as a "legend".
"A new legend from the golden generation is leaving us," he wrote on Twitter Tuesday, wishing El Hadary "all the best" for the future.
