Kevin-Prince Boateng has announced his retirement from the Ghana international team at the age of 24.

The A.C. Milan midfielder switched nationality last year after he had represented Germany at Under-19 level.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi has revealed that he was surprised by the decision.

"I am very, very surprised because I least expected something like that to happen especially at a time very close to the Nations Cup," he said.

"This comes at the time we were banking on the availability of all our key players, including Kevin, so this news came as a thunderbolt. It was not taken lightly at all. It really shook all of us to the core.

"His reasons are basically health related. He said the high level of games involving the national team and the club side were having a telling effect on his health."

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth player won nine caps for Ghana since his debut against Latvia last year.