ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia -- Keisuke Honda will not play in any future World Cups, the midfielder said Monday, after appearing in three consecutive tournaments.
"This is the last World Cup event in which I will take part as a player. I can't imagine [playing] four years from now," the 32-year-old veteran said after Japan's match against Belgium.
Honda first played for the Japanese national team in 2008. He scored twice at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and has been the ace of the national team ever since.
At the current World Cup, Honda appeared as a substitute in three matches, and helped take the national team to the round of 16 for the first time in two World Cups.
"I did everything I can do. I did my best," Honda said. He did not, however, definitively say he would retire from the national team entirely.
"I'm thinking about how I will continue my soccer career and be involved in the sport in the future. I want to organize my thoughts."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
