Simon Kjaer retires from international duty

Former Milan centre-back and Denmark captain Simon Kjaer announced on Friday that he is retiring from the national team at the age of 35 after 132 international appearances. "It's the right time to leave the national team, but of course at the same time I feel sad because nothing in football is better than representing your country. I have enjoyed every one of the 132 times I have been on the pitch singing the anthem with my teammates and the fans," he said in a statement from the Danish Football Union (DBU).
The former Palermo, Wolfsburg and Sevilla player, among others, made his debut for Denmark in 2009 and was part of the squad for six major tournaments, including the last European Championship, where he did not play a single minute. Kjaer took over the captaincy in 2016 following the retirement of fellow centre-back Daniel Agger.
In October 2023, he overtook goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel as Denmark's most-capped player, but team-mate Christian Eriksen took the record from him at the last European Championship. National coach Morten Wieghorst will announce who will be the new captain of the national team in the coming weeks, the DBU said.
Denmark are in the same group as Spain - plus Serbia and Switzerland - in the upcoming UEFA Nations League, which starts in September.