Yilmaz announces international retirement after missed penalty against Italy

Burak Yilmaz is going to focus only on his club career from now on. At 36, the Lille striker announced his international retirement on Thursday after the elimination of Turkey by Portugal during the qualifying play-offs for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Soon to be 37 years old, he will celebrate them next July, Burak Yilmaz has decided to focus on himself and his club. The Turkish striker formalized Thursday the end of his career with the national team after a match lost against Portugal (1-3) during the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup. Eliminated from the race for the World Cup,  » Le Kral » has decided to say stop and focus on his club career.

« It was my last game (in the Turkish shirt) today, » confirmed Burak Yilmaz after Ay-Yildizlilar’s defeat in Porto against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Seleçao. The player, still under contract with Lille until the end of the season, also said he was « sad » to hang up with Turkey after a failure. An adventure started in 2006 at only 20 years old, the attacker therefore stops sixteen years later. In 77 caps, the former player of Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray scored 31 goals.

>> Portugal-Turkey (3-1)

Yimaz fears ‘waking up every night’ after missed penalty

Beyond the non-qualification of Turkey, Burak Yilmaz had a particularly frustrating evening on the lawn of Dragao in Porto. On a good job from Cengiz Under, Lille scored the goal of hope for his selection shortly after the hour mark (2-1, 65th).

But « Le Kral » finally missed a penalty which would have made it possible to come back to two everywhere in the last minutes. By forcing his shot too much, Burak Yilmaz sent a missile over the crossbar of Diogo Costa. In the aftermath, Portugal scored the break goal to eliminate the Turks.

« I think I’m going to wake up every night for the rest of my life thinking I’m scoring this penalty, » said Burak Yilmaz. The culmination of a disappointing season with LOSC for the one who had been one of the great architects of the title obtained by the Mastiffs last year. Free at the end of the season, Burak Yilmaz will be 100% focused on his next challenge.