England right-back, Kyle Walker has announced his international retirement.
Walker made his debut in November 2011 and has gone on to score just one goal in 96 senior caps for England, with his sole goal having come against Ukraine in a 1-1 draw in UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying in September 2023.
The now 35-year old spoke of his sadness at making the decision to retire now after having last played for the national team in their friendly defeat to Senegal in June 2025.
“I am sad to be making this decision, but I’m also very proud of what I’ve achieved with England,” commented Walker who represented the Three Lions at five major tournaments, during which the team reached Euro 2020 & 24 finals.
“To represent my country at five major tournaments, to get to the finals that we’ve reached and to be surrounded by this England team, especially the players and the managers that I’ve had the privilege of working under, has been a great honour.
“But today is the time that comes to an end. It’s good for me to have a little bit of closure to my career on the international stage.
“I would just like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the managers that I’ve worked under, from Fabio Capello, to Roy Hodgson, to Lee Carsley, to Gareth Southgate and to Thomas, for making a dream become reality.
“Thank you to all of my team mates, past and present, and I wish everyone all the best.
“And to the fans, thank you for the support over the years. Keep supporting the lads, they need you guys, they need you behind them to make sure that they can do this country proud.
“We’re all going to be behind them and hopefully I can now be a fan watching them go and achieve something big at this World Cup.
“And last but certainly not least, thank you to my family.
“Thank you for putting up with all of the summers being away, and for all the times that I’ve obviously gone and followed my dream in representing my country.
“The book is now closed and it’s been a whirlwind of a journey, but one that I’ve really, really enjoyed.”
Walker proceeded to speak of feeling “extremely proud” about his 96 senior caps and being part of the first squad to reach a major final since the 1966 FIFA World Cup title-winning team, especially under Gareth Southgate.
“To then go to the tournaments that I’ve been to and experience what I have for both myself and my teammates, and also to see the thousands, if not millions, of people enjoying the same experience, it’s a great honour.
“To be among the first team to represent England in a major final since 1966, I’m really proud to say that I was a part of that.”
Walker also addressed the rollercoaster journey of playing for England as they embarrassingly lost to Iceland at UEFA Euro 2016 in the Round of 16 stage, and has since gone on to be one of Europe’s strongest teams.
“You always look back at the highs and the lows, and certainly Iceland was a low.
“But when we started this journey, especially with Gareth, we wanted to make sure that we were recognised as one of the best nations in the world.
“I think we’re definitely on the path to doing that, and I still say we because I’ve been a part of that.
“We’ve tried to change the way that people look at English football, we’ve tried to change the way that the media looks at football and we’ve tried to take a little bit of the pressure off that you feel playing for England.”
“Of course, I think there should be some pressure playing for your country, but we should all carry that because we’re the chosen ones who are lucky enough to pull on that shirt and represent our country.
“Hopefully, my team mates can also say that I’ve been a part of helping them develop as players and to represent the country and what it means.
“But in football, you experience ups and downs, highs and lows and ultimately, the curtain does draw at the end.”
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