Tesho Akindele, who could have been eligible to play for the Super Eagles, has quit after nine years in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
Akindele spent 2019-22 playing for Orlando City SC, plus spent 2014-18 with FC Dallas after he was selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.
The 30-year-old had 43 goals and 16 assists across 237 regular-season games, winning US Open Cup titles with both Orlando and Dallas.
He was also named the 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year (an award now known as Young Player of the Year).
“Soccer gave me more than I could have ever asked for,” Akindele said. “The places I’ve been, the memories I’ve made, the people I’ve met. The successes and the failures. It was all a dream come true!”
He added: “When I was starting my career, my mom told me, ‘it’s great to be known as a good soccer player, but I’d rather you be known as a good person.’
“I worked every day to live up to that.”
Akindele scored three goals in 19 appearances for Canada, last playing for Les Rouges at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
He played college soccer at the Colorado School of Mines, then became the highest-drafted NCAA Division II player in MLS history.
