Peter Crouch to retire from international football?

Peter Crouch will not play for England again under Fabio Capello after being axed from the Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland hours before kick-off at Wembley.

The Tottenham striker, who has scored 22 England goals in 42 games, was left feeling humiliated after Capello selected Darren Bent as his lone striker, with Fulham’s Bobby Zamora on the bench.

Crouch was at Wembley and wore his England blazer but it is the final straw for the 6ft 7in striker.

A close friend of Crouch said: ‘That is the last time he [Crouch] plays for Fabio Capello. It is almost a deliberate humiliation.’

Crouch became a national hero after his ‘robot dance’ goal celebration in an England shirt prior to the 2006 World Cup.

But he has felt increasingly marginalised by Capello despite turning up for England squads even when left unused.

Now the player has had enough and while he will not close the door when a new manager succeeds Capello, he is the latest player to decide he does not want to work with the Italian.

Goalkeepers Paul Robinson and Ben Foster have made themselves unavailable for England duty while Capello remains in charge but Jamie Carragher resumed his international retirement after a temporary comeback for the World Cup.

Manchester United’s Paul Scholes did not go to the World Cup after saying he was unhappy that Capello had only given him 24 hours’ notice.

Wes Brown declined to play after Capello called him up for a squad at the start of the season.

Crouch’s friend, who revealed the player’s disillusion with Capello, added: ‘Peter has always been loyal to England, regardless of the importance of the game.

‘He’s got a fiancée and baby daughter. He could have been on holiday with them but wanted to be part of things, unlike some other players. And once again he has been treated badly.’

Capello’s decision to inform Crouch that he would not be involved against the Swiss is strange given his international scoring record. Crouch’s average strike-rate of a goal every other game places him joint-16th on the all-time England scorers’ list alongside the legendary Tommy Lawton.

Zamora, 30, had won only one England cap before in a friendly against Hungary, and missed five months of last season through injury. He is two weeks older than Crouch.

Adding to Crouch’s hurt is that Wayne Rooney, who decided to play golf in the West Indies rather than support his team-mates at Wembley, and Jermain Defoe, who withdrew with injury despite playing until the end of the season at Tottenham, can both be expected to walk into England’s next squad against Holland in August, and the Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia the following month.

Crouch’s retirement will be felt by England fans who turned him into a cult figure after his debut in 2005.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1394379/Peter-Crouch-quits-Fabio-Capellos-England.html#ixzz1OOqBTCmg