Muscat: Oman's legendary footballer and ace goalkeeper, Ali al Habsi, announced his retirement on Friday.
"After years in which I had the honour to represent a number of clubs, today I announce the end of my career as a football player. I express my sincere thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout my career, confirming my continued service to my country from other locations," the 38-year-old Habsi said in a statement.
He was called up for Oman, and played in all of their three group matches at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China and also made four appearances for the team in their qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
He was the first-choice goalkeeper at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, appearing in all of their three group matches.
Al-Habsi appeared as the main keeper in four consecutive Arabian Gulf Cups. In each tournament, he earned the award for best goalkeeper, most recently at the 19th Arabian Gulf Cup. He kept a clean sheet throughout the 2009 tournament that Oman eventually won He earned his 100th cap with Oman in a 0–4 loss to Australia in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
[embed]https://twitter.com/PAN1F/status/1296902851478933505[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/bluewhitewall/status/1296902946337234945[/embed]
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
