Saudi media revealed that a Saudi player has decided to retire from international football after the Saudi national team was eliminated from the Gulf Cup in the semi-finals.
Despite the good performance in the group stage, the “Green” failed to overcome Oman in the semi-finals and lost 2-1, which led to harsh criticism of the players and coach Herve Renard.
According to the latest reports, goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais has informed the Saudi national team officials that he has retired internationally and will not wear the Green jersey again.
The Al-Hilal goalkeeper has an extensive record with Saudi Arabia, having represented his country in 53 international matches, and was undoubtedly one of the most important stars of the 2022 World Cup and the victory over Argentina in the first round of the group stage.
At the age of 33 and in light of the campaign of replacement and renewal led by Renard, Al-Owais saw that it was the right time to leave the national team and give the opportunity to more young players.
In this way, it is most likely that goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar or Nawaf Al-Aqidi will guard the goal of the Saudi national team next March in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
