Ismail Jakobs has announced his retirement from international football with Senegal at the age of 27, bringing an early end to a career in which he won 33 caps and featured at the last two World Cups.
The Galatasaray defender was first called up by Senegal in 2022. He also represented the country at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023 and 2025, and had appeared to have plenty of international football ahead of him.
However, Jakobs said he had decided to step away from the national team to concentrate on his club career and spend more time with his family.
“I joined the national team as a young boy and I leave as a mature man,” Jakobs said, according to Foot Mercato. “I take with me unforgettable memories, lifelong friendships and a gratitude that will remain engraved in my heart forever.”
Although he was raised in Germany, Jakobs said Senegal had made him feel at home from the moment he arrived.
“Despite growing up in Germany, Senegal welcomed me with immense warmth and love,” he added. “The country, the supporters, my team-mates and the culture made me feel at home from the very first moment.
“Thanks to Senegal, I was able to fulfil my childhood dreams and experience moments that I will cherish forever.”
Jakobs, whose father is Senegalese, said representing the country had allowed him to fulfil both his own ambition and that of his parent.
“As the son of a Senegalese father, it was a great pleasure to achieve not only my dream but also my father’s,” he said. “Today, the time has come to open a new chapter. I want to focus on my club career and dedicate more precious time to myself and my family.”
He added: “Time is precious, and some moments do not come around twice. My journey on the pitch with Senegal is coming to an end, but my connection with this country will remain eternal.”
Jakobs was involved in controversy after Senegal’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, when he claimed that three of his team-mates had suffered food poisoning.
He said the timing and severity of their symptoms suggested that what happened might have been deliberate, while stressing that he could not be certain.
“I cannot say this definitively, but my personal opinion is that three of our players were poisoned,” Jakobs said.
“It was not ordinary food poisoning. Three players went down at the same time, and it was extremely frightening. I do not want to make accusations, but what happened was not accidental.”
The listed Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures include Senegal against Sudan on 12 November 2026, and Morocco against Niger on 13 November 2026.
