He will remain at 99 goals in 142 matches with the Senegalese beach soccer team. Less than a week after the Beach Lions were eliminated from the Beach Soccer World Cup, Babacar Fall has decided to retire from international football.
All adventures come to an end. Babacar Fall's adventure with the Senegalese national beach soccer team came to an end with his failure to qualify for the World Cup. It lasted 13 years. Thirteen years of glory, big emotions and occasional small disappointments. Indeed, he leaves with the elimination in the first round, just as he and his team-mates were off to the United Arab Emirates to finally lift the grail at the World Cup. But when it comes to taking stock of his career, this disappointment does not weigh one iota on the immense career of the Senegalese international, who has lit up some of the world's most beautiful beaches.
Babacar Fall is a six-time winner of the African Beach Soccer Cup of Nations and two-time top scorer of the continental competition, the first of which came in 2011 when he was officially making his debut with the national team. He leaves having failed to score his 100th goal in the green-yellow-red jersey, a goal he was aiming to achieve in the United Arab Emirates. His tally thus remains stuck at 99 goals in 142 caps. No-one has ever scored as many goals in a Senegalese shirt. "You have to know how to leave at the right time with pride in a job well done," he wrote to announce his departure.
Although his time as a national team player has come to an end, Babacar Fall still hopes to stay in the game, where he has made a name for himself and showcased his talent on 5 continents. "I'm leaving the national team but I'm still available for this sport (beach soccer) which I love so much and which has given me everything. I hope that my experience over the last 13 years will help to advance this discipline," says the patented striker.
