Slovakia captain Hamsik retires from international football
Slovakia captain Marek Hamšík retires from international football. "I thought about it for a long time, but after 15 years I decided to end an important and wonderful part of my football career," Hamšík wrote on Facebook on Monday. The 34-year-old playmaker made his international debut in 2007 friendly against Poland. He earned a record 135 caps for his country and scored a record 26 goals. Hamšík captained Slovakia in their only World Cup appearance at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, where Slovakia defeated holders in Italy and reached the round of 16. "It was a great privilege to captain the national team in over 50 games," said Hamsik. With Hamšík, Slovakia also qualified for the 2016 and 2020 European Championships. "He deserves our respect and admiration," said Slovak national team coach Štefan Markovic. "The era of Hamšík and (Martin) Škrtel is coming to an end." At the club level, Hamsik spent his prime at Napoli from 2007-to 19. He