AMSTERDAM: Dirk Kuyt announced his retirement from international football on Friday after 104 caps for the Netherlands, saying he felt he no longer had a role to play in the team.

The veteran forward, who proved both his durability and versatility in several positions at the World Cup as the Dutch reached the semi-finals in Brazil in July, told media he had made his decision after talks with new coach Guus Hiddink.

“I still want to be relevant on the field but feel the coach no longer has the role for me that I want,” he told both De Telegraaf and Algemeen Dagblad newspapers on Friday. “That’s why I think it is best to retire.”

He said he has had several meetings with Hiddink and made a decision after their final discussion last weekend. “After those talks I decided to call it a day.

“It would be have easy to stop after a successful World Cup but I still felt fit. And the coach wanted to keep me. That’s why I continued but on condition that I felt good about the role I would be given.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2014