Scott Brown retires from international football

The midfielder won 55 caps for the national team over a 12 years spell

Published 26th Feb 2018

Former Scotland captain Scott Brown has retired from international football for a second time.

The Celtic captain, 32, won 55 caps for his country across two spells, reversing an initial decision to retire in August 2016.

New Scotland boss Alex McLeish may have wished to call on Brown's services but the combative midfielder has made himself unavailable.

He said on Celtic's official website: "I have spoken to Alex McLeish over the weekend. I really wanted to tell Alex first what I was thinking about things.

"As I said to Alex, I felt that, given the demands which are increasing all the time in football and at this stage of my career, I wasn't able to give both my club and country my best and I needed to focus purely on Celtic at this time.

“The football calendar is more and more demanding now, and in terms of looking after my own body and in interests of my family, I felt now is the right time to take this decision.

“I have really enjoyed my time with Scotland and making over 50 caps is something which I will always be really proud of. It was a huge honour to pull on the Scotland jersey every time I was given the opportunity and to be able to captain my country is a privilege I will always cherish".