goodbye to the captain who honored Diego Maradona

The captain of the legendary New Zealand rugby team Sam Cane will retire internationally at the end of 2024, ending 12 years playing for the All Blacksthe oceanic federation announced this Monday.

“After having played 95 games, 27 as captain, at the age of 32 he decided to dedicate more time to his family and sign a long-term contract with the Suntory Goliath of Tokyo,” he said. New Zealand Rugby it’s a statement.

The announcement of Cane’s international retirement is not a huge surprise because he had not played for the All Blacks since the World Cup final defeat. France World Cupin October, lost 12-11 against the South African Springboks, in which he was sanctioned with a red card.

After this competition, the captain announced in November that he was taking a break from his international career to play with the Suntory Goliath. Now he has decided to take the final step with his national team.

“I had to weigh the pros and cons, finally, with a young family, it seems to me the best decision to prepare our future. The decision was very difficult to make,” reflected Cane, who was part of the team that won the World Cup in 2015. and was named captain in 2020.

“I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to wear the captain’s armband. It was a great honor and a great privilege. I have learned a lot and progressed,” he explained.

The new coach of the Blacks, Scott Robertsonrevealed that they had spoken “a lot” with their captain before Cane made this determination.

“I completely understand the reasons for his decision and I support them. The position he held is very physically and mentally demanding, what he has done for so long is incredibly successful,” Robertson said.

Cane, in addition to his virtues in the game, went down in history for the tribute he paid with his All Blacks to Diego Maradona a few days after his death before a match against Los Pumas for the Rugby Championship.

Cane placed an All Blacks shirt with the number 10 that Maradona wore on the field, before this Rugby Championship duel, played in Australia, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

When the New Zealand players lined up to perform their famous haka, Cane separated from the others, walked towards midfield and placed the jersey with Maradona’s number and surname, while the Argentines watched in bewilderment with their arms linked.

“It was a gesture, a symbolic way to show our respect to an Argentine and world legend in this field as well,” said Cane. Later, New Zealand crushed Los Pumas 38-0, who also received harsh criticism for only having taken a bracelet made with insulating tape to honor the deceased idol..

The idea of ​​paying tribute had been his partner’s TJ PrenariaCane said. “I think rugby is first and foremost a sport that is built on respect, and this was the most respectful and correct thing we could do,” he added.

Several Argentine players thanked their country’s star for the tribute. “I didn’t know about the tribute until we tossed the coin with Sam Cane, and he told me,” Pablo Matera said. “I’m really grateful for that. Obviously, Diego Maradona was great for Argentina, so I’m frankly grateful for that gesture from the All Blacks.”