Former Ostersunds player and current Bali United captain Brwa Nouri has announced his retirement from international football, ending a two-year career in which he amassed less than 10 caps for Iraq.

Brwa earned his first cap for Iraq in 2016 against Jordan. His opportunity came following an impressive performance for his former team in Sweden where he won the domestic cup and qualified to the Europa League.

The midfielder went on to play seven more games for the Lions, scoring once in a 2-1 win over Kenya. However, Brwa did not impress Katenec in his limited opportunities. The Slovenian manager opted to not include him the preliminary squad for the 2019 Asian Cup.

The 31-year-old announced his retirement via Instagram today (Thursday) with this short message: “Bye bye National Team, I quit. I’ll miss the love from the fans and I wish the team the best. End of story.”

Nouri surprised fans by this announcement as the player had previously expressed his wishes to help Iraq reach the 2022 World Cup.

The announcement comes ahead of Iraq’s friendly against Palestine on Friday. The final squad is expected to be announced following the match.

To follow all the latest news and results from Iraq’s participation in the Asian Cup, follow @SoccerIraq on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.