Estonian midfielder Henrik Ojamaa retires from international football
Paide Linnameeskond's 33-year-old midfielder Henrik Ojamaa, who has been a regular in the Estonian national football team for the past twelve years, has announced his retirement from the international game, reports Soccernet.ee.
Ojamaa was given his Estonian national team debut as a 21-year-old against Croatia by head coach Tarmo Rüütli back in 2012.
Over the course of his career, Ojamaa went on to earn 63 caps for his country. His solitary goal for the national team came in May 2018, when he gave Estonia the lead after 23 minutes of the Baltic Cup tie against Lithuania; a match they went on to win 2-0.
Three years later, Ojamaa was part of the Estonian squad that won the Baltic Cup for the first time since 1938. Ojamaa's last game in a men's national team shirt was the 1-1 draw with Thailand at the A. Le Coq Stadium in a friendly last October.
"His back is in such a state that he can no longer help the team," said Estonian men's national team head coach Jürgen Henn at a press conference.
"I've seen how badly the strain can affect him at times. There are periods when he walks around for a week with a complete limp because his back is totally cramped and locked," said Henn.
"Representing the national team has given me a lot of emotions over the years," said Ojamaa. "I want to thank all the players, coaches and support staff I worked with, and to the fans who supported the team through good times and bad. Now it's time to make room for the younger players. I'll be following the team with great interest and wish them every success."
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Editor: Anders Nõmm, Michael Cole
