Czech Republic captain Darida retires from national team

Posted July 04, 2021 7:00 am

The Associated Press

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - A day after the Czech Republic was eliminated from the European Championship, team captain VladimÃr Darida retired from international soccer.

The 30-year-old Hertha Berlin playmaker missed the 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the round of 16 with an unspecified injury and came on as a substitute in the 2-1 loss to Denmark in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals on Saturday.

Since his debut in a warmup match for Euro 2012 against Israel, Darida played 76 games for the national team, scoring eight goals.

'œI experienced beautiful moments in the national team,'ť Darida said in a statement on Sunday. 'œNow, I'd like to spend much more time with my family and my young son.'ť

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Czech Republic's Vladimir Darida and Tomas Holes, right, react after England's Raheem Sterling scored the opening goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group D match between the Czech Republic and England at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (Justin Tallis, Pool photo via AP) The Associated Press

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