Cameroon striker Karl Toko Ekambi has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 32.

Toko Ekambi made the announcement on his official Instagram page on Thursday, ending a nine-year journey with the Indomitable Lions.

On Instagram, the player expressed both his disappointment at not having gone further with his team at the AFCON in Ivory Coast, and his pride in his journey by saying: “Disappointed not to go further but proud of my team for giving it our all together. A fourth chapter of the Africa Cup closes, the end of a story. Forever an Indomitable Lion.”

Chosen by Rigobert Song to participate in this edition of the AFCON, the former Stade Rennais player scored a goal and played in all four matches. However, Cameroon’s journey ended in the round of 16 after their defeat by Nigeria.

The French-born Cameroonian made his Indomitable Lions debut in 2015 under German coach Volker Finke. Two years later, he represented Cameroun at the Africa Cup of Nations under the tutelage of Hugo Broos.

He played an integral role as Cameorun won their fifth AFCON title. During his 61 caps, Toko Ekambi scored 15 goals for his country. His greatest moment was undoubtedly the World Cup qualifying goal against Algeria, scored in the last seconds of the match. This historic moment earned him the nickname “Air Conditioner of Blida.”

Since August 2023, Toko Ekambi had been playing in Saudi Arabia with Abha club, which was then second to last in the Saudi Pro League. However, he chose to stay in Saudi Arabia, recently signing with Al-Ettifaq, led by Steven Gerrard, where he will be reunited with his teammate Seko Fofana.