World Cup 2018: Japan legend Keisuke Honda retires from international football after crashing out to Belgium
Former AC Milan playmaker announces he will step aside to allow the next generation to take over
JAPAN icon Keisuke Honda has confirmed his international retirement after seeing his country knocked out of the World Cup.
The playmaker, 32, and 34-year-old skipper Makoto Hasebe will both call it a day after a heartbreaking injury-time defeat to Belgium.
Honda - who played for AC Milan and CSKA Moscow in Europe - claimed he was making way for the next generation.
He said: "I might have finished my career for the national team.
"But I'm happy because we have many young players following us, and I think that they will make new history for Japanese football.
"This is the last World Cup for me. That's the reality. To be perfectly honest, I wanted to take everyone to the next round but I couldn't get the job done. I did the best I could.
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"Belgium deserved the win, but we also played as well as we possibly could. I just want to thank my team-mates."
Pachuca ace Honda came off the bench in all four of Japan's matches and scored a vital equaliser against Senegal.
In total, he won 97 caps for his country - scoring 37 times.
Hasebe added: "I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues who fought together for about 12 and a half years since 2006, and to all the Japanese people who supported me so much."
Japan were among the oldest squads in Russia with an average age of over 28.