JERUSALEM, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli star Eran Zahavi on Thursday announced his retirement from the national team after his request to stay without a roommate in the hotel rooms during preparations had been rejected.
The 35-year-old striker was therefore not included in the squad, which was announced by the team's general manager Yossi Benayoun and head coach Alon Hazan for the UEFA Nations League match against Albania on September 24 and the friendly in Malta three days later.
Zahavi, a two-time top scorer of the Chinese Super League (CSL), returned to the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv this summer after two seasons at PSV Eindhoven. He played 70 times for the Israeli national team and scored 33 goals.
In an Instagram post, Zahavi claimed that for years he has been permitted to stay without a roommate in the teams he played and in the national team as well.
"Ahead of every practice and match, I go to bed early in the evening and wake up very early with morning preparations, prayer and eating routine. If there is someone else in the room, it bothers both of us," he explained.
"I tried to convince Benayoun, I even offered to pay the extra expenses for the hotel, but he refused to listen," Zahavi noted.
"I realized that it was something personal against me, showing disrespect for my contribution to the national team so far," he added. "It left me shocked and with great sadness."
Benayoun said at a press conference that he tried to explain to Zahavi that it was not something personal, but a new policy that he had to adopt. "This is not what I wanted, Zahavi is a huge player."
"We wanted the players to connect more as pairs in the rooms, for the younger players to be together with the experienced ones. Anyway, I respect Zahavi's request, the team's door is open to him," said Hazan. ■
