Stephen Appiah pulled down the curtain on an illustrious international career by announcing his retirement from the Black Stars last Saturday to close an eventful chapter in the national team.

It was a bombshell of an announcement on his official website, StepApp.com, which caught the football community off guard.

But for close associates of the adorable midfielder famously known as "Tornado", the news was long in coming having poured his heart out to them about the most challenging moments of his career and his future plans.

GFA President, Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, was equally stunned by the news. Like his colleagues on the football controlling body, Mr Nyantakyi only heard about Appiah's retirement in the media and it was only yesterday that he received an e-mail from the retired national captain that he would no longer be available for national team selection.

"Since he has already announced his retirement, it is not necessary to disturb his decision," noted the GFA boss who at press time yesterday had yet to speak with Appiah over the issue.

However, with Appiah's unexpected retirement coming on the heels of Michael Essien's request for exemption from international duties, a cloud of uncertainty and apprehension seems to be gathering over the international future of the national team's senior citizens like Hans Sarpei (34), goalkeeper Richard Kingson (32) and Matthew Amoah (30).

Inevitable as Appiah's retirement may be, the sudden end of his romance with Ghana football is akin to an unexpected end to a well scripted story.

The Casena midfielder, who turns 30 on Christmas Eve, said it was the right moment to take a bow and give way to younger players.

Black Stars Management Committee boss, Mr Fred Pappoe, was himself taken aback by the announcement but admitted to the Graphic Sports yesterday that the player had discussed the issue with him in private but Appiah gave no clues about when to call time on his international career.

For Mr Pappoe, "any player who dutifully serves the nation is worth being honoured in various ways," indicating the retired national captain will be honoured to befit his distinguished service to Ghana.

Only last week Essien, who had battled recurrent injuries since December last year, requested to be excused from international duties in order to concentrate on his Chelsea career.

Essien said: "I think I will be taking a break, not retiring, just not playing for some time. I have to take the right decision for myself."

Following impressive displays by midfielders Anthony Annan, Kevin-Prince Boateng and more recently Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Essien may probably be aware the Stars midfield remains strong, even in his absence, despite Coach Milovan Rajevac's admission the Chelsea player's experience and command performances were sorely missed in the national team.

Essien's assurances that he would be back soon may have eased initial fears that the midfield bulwark may just be preparing the grounds for an imminent retirement from the Stars.

In an interview with this paper after Ghana's exit from the FIFA World Cup, the GFA President hinted that some of the team's ageing players would eventually give way to enable Coach Rajevac build on the team's success with the younger generation of players for the future.

According to Mr Nyantakyi, Coach Rajevac expected some ageing players to put in an offer to retire in due course, but the selection of others "will be done on merit".

It is no secret that Appiah's work rate had been hampered by his career-threatening injury which kept him out of competitive football for nearly two years and limited his playing time under Rajevac, reducing him to a reserve player with an uncertain future.

He featured for 105 minutes in three appearances - all as a substitute - at the 2010 World Cup but was ominously omitted from Ghana's recent friendly with South Africa in Johannesburg, further heightening speculation about his international future.

As successor to Charles Akonnor as national caption and "owner" of the coveted No. 10 jersey, Appiah seems to have played it smart by exiting before being pushed out of the Stars.

He walks away still holding his head high, having given his best years to Ghana football and as the driving force behind the Black Stars team that achieved the nation's long-standing ambition of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup four years ago.