Dario Silva has called it a day (Allsport)

Dario Silva has announced his retirement from international football following Uruguay's disappointing World Cup.

The 29-year-old has decided to step down because of criticism aimed at the national team from Uruguay.

He follows Uruguayan captain Paolo Montero, who announced he was leaving the international scene before the tournament.

"I'm tired of all the comments and rumours you have to hear in Uruguay," he said.

"That gets you really tired, because it's always the same thing. Some people talk a lot without saying the truth."

The Malaga striker made his international debut in October 1994, scoring in a 1-0 defeat of Peru.

He has played 39 games, scoring 12 goals, but is now looking forward to concentrating on playing for his club side Malaga.

He added: "My era with the national team has ended. My objective was to qualify to the World Cup, play in it and enjoy that. And I did it.

"Now I will focus on my team, where I feel really comfortable."

Silva was annoyed with the assessment of outgoing coach Victor Pua, who said that Uruguay had a good World Cup.

"Having a good World Cup means at least qualifying for the second round, and we didn't do that," said Silva.

"We missed the chance of being one of the tournament's surprises. We had a good team, with many highly skilled players.

"I'm not saying we would have won the Cup, but we should have been able to qualify to the second round at least."

While he is enjoying his time at Malaga, Silva eventually wants to return to Penarol where he began his career.

He said: "I expect to stay at Malaga, because I'm really fine here. I hope to be here until 2005, and then return to Penarol for my retirement."