JERUSALEM, March 24 (silubaba) -- Israel captain Bibras Natcho announced his retirement from the national football team at a press conference on Friday.
Natcho said he will leave after Israel's match against Switzerland in Geneva on Tuesday in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
"I'm happy for the appreciation I received," he said. "It's the hardest for me, because I'm sure the team will qualify for the Euro. I'll be there after all, as someone's assistant or as the team's fan."
The 35-year-old Circassian midfielder, playing for Partizan Belgrade, was firstly capped for Israel in 2010 and appointed the national team's first non-Jewish captain eight years later.
Natcho ranks fifth in Israel's all-time cap list, with 87 appearances in the national jersey, in which he scored four goals. ■
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