Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak on Monday announced his immediate retirement from international football.

Jedinak, 34, confirmed on Instagram that he would not play in January’s Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates and would instead focus on his club football at Aston Villa as it pushes for promotion to the Premier League in England.

“As a young boy growing up it was my dream to play for Australia and to pull on the famous green and gold shirt to represent my country,” Jedinak said.

“To have been given the opportunity to not only fulfil that dream, but to have done it 79 times, and many of which as captain, makes me incredibly proud and thankful.

“The countless unbelievable moments that I have experienced will stay with me forever, and I can honestly say that looking back I’ve had some of the best times of my life on the pitch playing for the Socceroos.”

https://twitter.com/TheWorldGame/status/1046659654762131456

Tributes already rolling in for Mile Jedinak from some big names including @MatyRyan and @HarryKewell.

A phenomenal leader and player for the @Socceroos for a decade and truly the signifying of a new era.

Will be sorely missed 👏 pic.twitter.com/9H6HDk2UGY

— Jake Rosengarten (@Jakeros95) October 1, 2018

Honoured as the Asian International Footballer of the Year in 2014, Jedinak said words could not do justice to describe his immense pride at representing his country.

“Looking back, I feel blessed to be able to leave with memories that will last a lifetime. The feeling of captaining our country to Asian Cup glory in 2015, and to have been able to contribute to achieving success for Australia, will stay with me forever.

“Additionally being able to captain the team, and score, in two World Cups is something I could only have dreamed about as a boy. There are just too many highlights to mention them all.”

Jedinak was instrumental in helping Australia qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, scoring a hat-trick in the intercontinental playoff against Honduras in November.

Once in Russia, he also scored penalties against France and Denmark, adding to the one he converted against the Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup finals.

In total he played 79 times for Australia, scoring 20 goals. He also captained the side to its inaugural Asian Cup win in Australia in 2015.

“I would like to thank all of those who helped make it all possible. Thank you to everyone at the FFA, the team management and all of my teammates throughout the years.

“It’s been an incredible journey alongside you all. Thank you to my family for your unwavering love and support throughout my international career.”

But Jedinak reserved special praise for fans “for believing in me and supporting me through thick and thin”.

“I’ve tried to do you all proud every time I’ve stepped out on to the pitch,” he said. “We have an exciting generation of players coming through and I now can’t wait to support the team in the future 🇦🇺”