Former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona striker David Villa has revealed that he will retire from international duty after the end of the World Cup 2014. The Spanish striker has been one of the best in the world, but he is coming to the end of his career. After several years in Spain, he finally sealed a move to New York City to play in the MLS. He is expected to be joined by Chelsea star Frank Lampard. Villa is one of the revered strikers in world football and he is the current record goalscorer for the national team.

However, he has lost a lot of pace in the last few years and this has contributed to his consistent decline in form. Even though he helped Atletico Madrid to their first league title in almost 2 decades, he has been heavily linked with a move away and it finally came in the form of a move to New York City. Speaking ahead of the World Cup 2014, Villa confirmed that this will be his final major tournament with the Spanish national team, as he does not intend to carry on playing international football for the benefit of his club career. The 32-year-old has represented the national team in 95 matches.

“I don’t like to say that I’m saying goodbye, but obviously at the World Cup I’ll be playing my last games for Spain. Now I want to enjoy myself from the word go, put in a great World Cup and, why not, get another star [on the Spain shirt]. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve accepted [New York City FC’s offer]: I still have a lot of football left in me. If not, I would have gone home, although I didn’t consider the possibility of retiring,” said the Spanish striker.

AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy says that he wants to be part of the Italian team at the World Cup 2014. The youngster has been regarded as one of the bright talents available at the disposal of Italy manager Cesare Prandelli. However, he has missed the last few months of action due to an injury. He made his comeback at just the right moment after featuring in the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Atalanta during the weekend. This was his first appearance of 2014, and it remains to be seen if he will be part of the Italy squad.

Prandelli will have his reservations about the fitness of the striker, as he has missed so much of action in recent months. He suffered a foot injury during the match against Ajax towards the end of 2013. El Shaarawy has stated that he is delighted to return to the pitch. Now that he has made his comeback, the 21-year-old is targeting a final push into the Italy squad. He will have only around 90 minutes to impress the manager, as the Italian Serie A season is coming to a close. It has been a very disappointing campaign for the club, as they are set to miss out on any form of European football next season.

“The only satisfaction is getting back on the pitch, I’m happy for that. It’s been a tough five months for me. I am very happy to have made my comeback, but I feel sad about the result. I gave my all for the team. My objective was to do well in these last few games to convince the Italy coach. I believe that I can get called up and I hope I can show that I’m ready,” said the striker after his comeback to the team.