After suffering a serious injury in last season's UEFA Europa League semi-final, Laurent Koscielny will no longer wear the marquee of the French national team - the defender announced that he is stepping back from the national team.
The 33-year-old defender was supposed to go to the 2018 World Cup, but the injury not only prevented him from going to Russia, but also from winning the most important trophy in football - the World Championship trophy.
L. Koscielny is expected to return to the field at the beginning of next year. Arsenal fans in London will still see him wearing the club's jersey, but French football fans will no longer.
The defender spoke emotionally about stepping back from the national team and the time when he had to watch the team's loud victories from the sidelines when injured.
"France's triumph in the World Cup did more psychological damage to me than the injury I suffered against Atletico. I think I gave everything to this team. I am 33 years old, I played in two European and one World Cup. France with the current generation is in good hands.
The injury did not change my decision - my national team career is over", the defender said in an interview with "Canal +".
L. Koscielny also revealed that after the injury he felt forgotten by both the entire team and Didier Deschamps: "He called me once on my birthday in September. There was no more signal from him. During that time, many people disappointed me, not just the coach.
When you are in great shape and playing, then you have many friends. But when you fall out of the ranks, after a certain period of time, you are already forgotten."
L. Koscielny made his debut for the French national team quite late - in 2011. He managed to play 51 matches and score one goal.
Via @canalplus
— EiF (@EiFSoccer) October 14, 2018
So emotional to see players open up about these career moments. Koscielny talks about all the difficulties he had distancing himself from family as he obsessed over getting recovered. He starts tearing up thinking about missing the WC. pic.twitter.com/T0er3iJ0Bh
