Nedved quits international scene

Czech Republic midfielder Pavel Nedved has announced he is quitting international football to concentrate on his club career with Juventus.

The 32-year-old, named European Footballer of the Year in 2003, took a break from playing for his country recently so he could regain full fitness following a knee injury.

And he has now decided to retire permanently, citing the rigours of Serie A.

“I have decided to end my international career with the Czech Republic,” he said in a statement.

“To make my decision clear, I declare that my state of health is still not good enough to withstand the tremendous physical load of playing with the national team and Juventus.”

Nedved revealed his decision to quit international football was made easier by the criticism he received for taking the initial break.

“I was going to think about this difficult decision for a longer time and wait for more medical advice but my will to play on was weakened after the media and part of the public negatively evaluated my need to take a break,” he added.

“After an evaluation of all the circumstances I decided to end my career with the Czech Republic.”

Nedved won 83 caps for his country – the last of which came in the semi-finals of Euro 2004 as the Czechs went down to Greece.

“It was a great honour for me to play for my country as everyone can see from my performances,” he said.

“I have always been very proud of all the successes of the Czech Republic.

“Therefore, I did not expect my decision to interrupt playing for the team (due to an injury received against the Greeks) to be accompanied with criticism and double-meaning statements intended to take away from previous accomplishments.

“The fact is that the injuries I have accumulated recently take much longer to heal than they would for a younger player.

“I am very sorry for the circumstances under which I say goodbye to the Czech national team, but I strongly believe that my former team-mates, with whom it was always a great honour to play with, and my fans, who I wish to thank for their support, will respect my decision and understand it, if not now then later with the passing of time.”