Samir Nasri has made a decision about his international future and dropped a strong hint that he has played his last game for France.
The Manchester City midfielder was left out of France’s squad for the World Cup finals in Brazil despite playing a major role in his club’s Premier League title.
Nasri is not yet ready to make his decision public, saying in comments reported on skysports.com: “I made it a while ago but I will announce it when the time is right.”
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But it appears certain the 27-year-old will announce his international retirement.
He said: “With the national team I didn’t win anything. So it’s more easy to take this decision than if we’d just won something. When you play for a big club, and you play lots of games, it’s easy to come to this decision.”
Nasri was widely criticised in France and labelled a disruptive influence after national coach Didier Deschamps explained his controversial World Cup omission by claiming: “I built the best squad, I did not pick the 23 best French players.”
Nasri admitted the effect of such words on his family made it harder to enjoy life with Les Bleus.
He has a chequered history with the national team, having also missed out on a place in the squad for the 2010 World Cup while he was banned for three matches following Euro 2012 after swearing at reporters.
“Even before the summer, during Euro 2012 I had a lot going on,” he said. “Personally, it doesn’t affect me, but it affects my family. They live in France, they read the press stuff.
“I live in England so I’m fine with everything they say and I’m used to it. But for my parents it’s really hard. I want to make them happy and the national team doesn’t make me happy.”
Nasri has represented France at every level from under-16s, making his senior debut aged 19 in 2007, and has played 41 times for the full national side, scoring five goals.
But he has not featured since France’s 2-0 defeat by Ukraine in the first leg of their World Cup qualification play-off in November. He was an unused substitute in the second leg, which France won 3-0 to book their place in Brazil.
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