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Chile's failure to secure a ticket to the 2006 World Cup in Germany sparked rumors that players would massively withdraw from the national team, with one of the first to be the team leader David Pizarro.
26-year-old D. Pizarro spoke about his withdrawal from the national team after the goalless draw with Ecuador's national team on Wednesday. In these matches, Chile needed a victory and hoped for Uruguay and Colombia to stumble.
However, it later turned out that Uruguay defeated Argentina, and Colombia defeated Paraguay, so the victory would not have changed anything.
"These could be my last matches in the World Cup qualifiers," said Inter defender D. Pizarro. "I say this because of how difficult it is to represent both the club and the national team."
"From now on, I will devote more time to my family," said D. Pizarro. "I want to see my children grow up."
Another Chilean star, Marcelo Salas, could end his national team career. The most productive player in the national team did not play in the last three matches.
The 30-year-old former "Lazio" and "Juventus" striker, who scored 35 goals in June, became the most prolific Chilean player of all time.
It is said that defender Rodrigo Perez, 32, and center-back Ricardo Rojas, 31, could also leave the national team.
The team's head coach, Nelson Acosta, also spoke about the withdrawal. He will step down from the national team if "no one learns from the mistakes" and "if the federation does not start actively developing important projects."
