After World Cup sack, Ashley Cole quits England shirt

London: Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole announced his retirement from international football on Monday after being left out of England's World Cup squad.

The 33-year-old quit the England shirt after playing for the country in 107 games, including appearances in three World Cups, reports the BBC.England manager Roy Hodgson named his 23-man squad, plus seven standby players, on Monday. Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, 18, is one of the inclusions.

Cole said that Hodgson had called him to tell him that he was going forward with younger England team that would not include him.During his 107 appearances for England, Cole was on the winning side on 63 occasions. England drew 30 matches and lost 14 while he was part of the squad. He played his last international against Denmark on March 5, 2014.

Hodgson said leaving Cole out of his squad for Brazil was one of the hardest decisions of his career, and described the latter as an incredible competitor for England.He said Cole's century of caps should be seen as a truly staggering achievement, as also a representation of his desire to play for his country.

Cole made his international debut against Albania in March 2001. He is only the seventh England player to play 100 games.