Porto midfielder Seko Fofana announces retirement from Ivory Coast national team

[p]At 31 years old, the player on loan from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rennes/d2nnj1IE/"]Rennes[/a] to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fc-porto/S2NmScGp/"]FC Porto[/a] is retiring from international football. The decision was announced in a post on [i]Instagram[/i].[/p][p][b]"Dear Ivorian fans, the time has come to turn the page. It is with pride and immense gratitude that I had the opportunity to fight for my country and for the Ivorian Football Federation"[/b], the statement read.[/p][p][b]"Winning the continent's most important trophy was the fulfillment of a childhood dream and will forever remain in the memory of millions of Ivorians"[/b], he added, referring to AFCON 2023, which [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a] won against Nigeria, then coached by José Peseiro.[/p][embed guid="860ee81d-fd52-4483-92e1-d6e6970aabc7" url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdRbKapjbIm/?stkn=MWNjeDNybmZpNzUxdQ%3D%3D" social-type="instagram" /][p][b]"Thank you to my teammates, the coaching staff, and all of you for your strength and support. I will always be the number one fan of the Elephants and I look forward to seeing this new generation write their own story. We are not lacking in talent,"[/b] the Porto midfielder concluded.[/p][p]While representing Ivory Coast, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fofana-seko/f5FGGqhC/"]Seko Fofana[/a] played 35 matches and scored seven goals.[/p][p]Born in Paris, the French capital, Fofana was a French youth international up to the under-18 level, but made his debut for the [i]Elephants[/i] on November 11, 2017, in a friendly against Morocco.[/p][image alt="Seko Fofana stats for Ivory Coast" id="e89c2bdd-e1a3-4401-aa87-23f24910e40a" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="197ba89c-dbd2-48ac-9048-51ad7d0a4583" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]The midfielder was present at the 2026 World Cup and played in two matches for the African national team.[/p][p]Currently, Fofana plays for FC Porto, the club he returned to this season after being loaned out midway through last season, proving decisive in the [i]azuis e brancos[/i]' return to the title. In 2026/27, the midfielder has featured in three matches, but has yet to start a game.[/p]