Toure quits int'l football

Four-time African footballer of the year Yaya Toure of the Ivory Coast announced his retirement from international football on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Manchester City midfielder -- capped 113 times -- said it had been an incredibly difficult decision.

"Writing this note was probably 'the most difficult match of my life'," wrote Toure.

"After 14 years at the highest level, I'm sure this is the right time for me! The fact that I am 33 now, the intensity of training and the multitude of games are not the reasons why I am making this decision."

Toure, part of the golden generation of Ivory Coast players such as Didier Drogba, said for all his success at club level, including a Champions League with Barcelona in 2009, it was finally winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 that remained his most precious memory.