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The new Celtic club defender Thomas Gravesen has announced that he is stepping down from the Danish national team.
The 30-year-old player represented the national team 66 times and decided to focus on playing for his new club after recently leaving Real Madrid.
"I am very pleased to have joined Celtic and happy to start fresh as a footballer," the player was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Danish Football Federation. "So I feel good and want to dedicate myself fully to work."
T. Gravesen made his debut in the national team in August 1998 in a match against the Czech Republic, and also participated in the 2000 and 2004 European Championships with the team.
In addition, the tough defender reached the quarterfinals with the team in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, where they lost to England with a score of 0-3.
"Since representing Denmark, I have participated in European and World Championships, where I had a fantastic time and gained experience," added the footballer. "I am grateful for all the time I spent with my team, and I want to thank my teammates - coach Morten Olsen, Danish national team fans, and everyone who was with the team. Representing Denmark was a great honor."
The national team coach M. Olsen says that Denmark will greatly miss T. Gravesen during the qualifiers for the 2008 European Championship.
"I knew about his decision for some time and tried to convince him to change his mind," he said. "However, I did not succeed and he clearly feels that it is the right decision. So, keeping that in mind, I respect his decision and wish him all the best in his club career with Celtic. Thomas was an incredibly important player for the national team and all players and coaching staff really have something to thank him for his contribution over the years."
