HARARE – Zimbabwe captain Knowledge Musona has quit international football, he announced on Thursday.
The 31-year-old, who plays for Saudi Arabia top flight side Al-Tai, said he took “immense pride in having captained the team for five years.”
“I am retiring to concentrate on my career at club level and to afford my other teammates and rising stars the opportunity to represent our country,” Musona said in a statement.
“I will cherish every moment I have spent as a member of the team,” he added.
Norton-born Musona was capped 51 times by his country since making his bow in a friendly match against South Africa in March 2010.
South African club Kaizer Chiefs scouted him from the Aces Youth Academy in 2009. He went on to make 49 appearances for them before signing for Hoffenheim in Germany.
Nicknamed the ‘Smiling Assassin’, Musona spent a season on loan at Augsburg before joining Oostende in Belgium where he spent three years between 2015 and 2018.
He joined Anderlecht from 2018 to 2021 but his appearances were limited as he was twice sent on loan to Lokeren and Eupen.
He joined Al-Tai last year and has made 19 appearances for them while scoring five times.
Zimbabwe were drawn with South Africa, Liberia and Morocco in the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with fixtures set to get underway on May 30.
Zimbabwe’s participation remains in doubt, however, as the country is banned from international football by FIFA for government interference.
The Confederation of African Football gave Zimbabwe until May 16 to re-instate Felton Kamambo’s executive or face being excluded from the tournament. By Thursday, there was not evidence the Sports and Recreation Commission had complied.
Musona appeared to make reference to the situation in his statement.
“My hope, as is for many, is that those charged with the management of our beautiful game and its continuous development across all its spheres work together for the greater good of our national team, our international and regional participation and investment in up and coming talent that is abundant in our country,” he said.
