His third World Cup was also his last: after 86 international appearances for Tunisia, Ellyes Skhiri announced his retirement from the national team.
“The time has now come for me to announce the end of my international career,” Ellyes Skhiri wrote on Instagram on Thursday. The midfielder made his debut in early 2018, whilst still under contract with Montpellier in France. A few months later, Skhiri travelled to Russia for his first World Cup. He played the full 90 minutes in all three group stage matches, but was unable to prevent his side’s early exit.
Captain at the last World Cup
Tunisia suffered the same fate at the two subsequent World Cups: in Qatar in 2022 and this summer in North America. In the 1–5 defeat to Sweden in mid-June in Monterrey, Skhiri was substituted early for the first time at a World Cup – even though he had by then risen to become captain of the Eagles of Carthage. In total, the 31-year-old made 86 international appearances, scoring four goals.
Just a few days before Skhiri, Rani Khedira had also announced his retirement. However, the 32-year-old from Union Berlin had only been a national team player for half a year and therefore made just six international appearances.
Alongside the disappointments at World Cups, Skhiri also enjoyed some wonderful moments with the national team. For example, in 2019, when Tunisia reached the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. “Wearing that shirt and representing my home country made me proud and it was a great honour. The emotions, the moments we shared and all those memories will stay with me forever,” he explained.
Following the most recent World Cup, the experienced player moved from Frankfurt back to Cologne, where he had previously played for four years from 2019 onwards. Skhiri has made a total of 203 Bundesliga appearances to date (20 goals). His next match is scheduled for Saturday, when he and FC Cologne travel to face Hamburger SV.
