Football Australia tonight acknowledged the international retirement of Nagoya Grampus goalkeeper, Mitch Langerak.
Langerak, who became the 566th player to represent Australia's senior men's national football team when he debuted for the Socceroos against France in October 2013, has called time on his international career due to his desire to remain with his young family throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This has been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make in terms of football, but it is the right decision for me and my young family," Langerak said. "I have looked at the international calendar up to next year's World Cup and the likely time away from family, not only due to the camps themselves but periods afterwards in quarantine."
After sitting down with my family and close circle, I have decided to put my family first because leaving my family alone in a foreign country (Japan) with no family support during a pandemic is not something that I am comfortable with."
"I look back on my Socceroos career with fantastic memories, highlighted by the special moments that we created as a team. I enjoyed playing under Holger (Osieck), Ange (Postecoglou), and Graham (Arnold). [Former Socceroos goalkeeper coach] Tony Franken and I go a long way back - he is a fantastic coach and I will always be grateful to him for bringing me into the squad.
"It was fantastic to be part of the journey to the next World Cup with the team, and I wish the players, coaches, and staff the best as they tackle the remainder of the qualification process."
