Goran Pandev is ready to retire from international soccer — again.
The 37-year-old Pandev said Sunday that North Macedonia’s final group match at the European Championship will be his last.
“Yes, this is it for me, the last match in the jersey of Macedonia national football team,” Pandev said. “I think this is the right moment to say goodbye to the national team.”
North Macedonia will face the Netherlands on Monday in Group C. The Dutch have already won the group and North Macedonia has already been eliminated.
Pandev started his international career in 2001 and has made 121 appearances for his country, scoring 38 goals.
He said he hopes the current generation of players can lead the country to next year’s World Cup without him.
When North Macedonia coach Igor Angelovski took over in 2015, one of his key decisions was to convince Pandev come out of international retirement. Pandev then scored the goal that secured North Macedonia’s place at Euro 2020 — its first major soccer tournament.