Desailly quits international football

France captain Marcel Desailly is to quit international football, he told French television this morning.

France captain Marcel Desailly is to quit international football, he told French television this morning.

The 35-year-old defender, who plays in London for Chelsea, told TF1: "The time has come when I must stop."

"I'm not playing as well as I did because I can't run up and down the pitch as much as I used to," Desailly was quoted as saying.

Desailly, who won the World Cup in 1998 and Euro 2000 with France, made a record 116 appearances for the national side over 11 years.

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He played his last game for France at Euro 2004 in a 2-2 draw with Croatia, his only appearance at the tournament. France were knocked out by Greece in the quarter-finals.