Kei Kamara announces retirement from international football

After 15 years with Sierra Leone, CF Montreal’s Kei Kamara will be retiring from international football. 

The Major League Soccer star took to Twitter to announce his departure, signaling the end of an era. 

"Fifteen years ago I decided to wear the Green, White and Blue, and represent you on the international stage," he wrote.

"I never knew what the journey would bring me, but I tell you, I would do it all over again if I had the chance. Today, I am finally hanging up my international jersey to focus on my club career. Now when those international breaks come, I will spend time with my family, but I will always miss the games at Siaka Stevens Stadium.

"Thank you Sierra Leone for letting your son live a dream- a dream that’s not only mine, but also one of many Salone people, home and abroad. I will continue to serve you in any way that I can. I wish Leone Starts all the best, and I cannot wait to celebrate you every step of the way."

Kamara kicked off with Sierra Leone in 2008, two years after launching his professional career in Major League Soccer. Since then, he’s gone on to make 39 appearances and seven goals. 

Despite a falling out with head coach Sellas Tetteh in 2019, the forward launched a comeback two years later to help Sierra Leone make its first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations since 1996.  

He featured in all three group stage matches, earning two draws before closing out with a 1-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea to end his career. 

Now, as Major League Soccer’s fifth all-time leading goal scorer, Kamara will focus on his first season with CF Montreal after being traded from the Colorado Rapids during the offseason. He managed one goal and one assist in six games to kick off the 2022 campaign right.