August 20 – German captain Ilkay Gundogan has announced his retirement from international football after leading his country to the quarterfinals at Euro 2024, citing “a certain tiredness” both physically and mentally.
Gundogan, who turns 34 in October, follows in the footsteps of teammates Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller, both of whom have called time their international careers.
“After a few weeks of reflection, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to end my national team career,” the Barcelona midfielder, who scored 19 times for Germany, wrote on social media.
“I look back with great pride on 82 international matches for my home country – a number that I could never have dreamed of when I made my debut for the senior national team in 2011.”
Despite the pain of defeat to eventual winners Spain, Germany demonstrated at the Euros they are a force to be reckoned with again after the disappointment of successive World Cup group-stage exits either side of a last-16 loss to England at Euro 2020.
“My highlight was definitely the huge honour of being able to lead the team as captain at our home European Championship last summer. After all these years, we finally managed to make the nation proud again – I’m very happy that I was able to play a part in that,” Gundogan added
“But even before the tournament, I felt a certain tiredness in my body and also in my head, which made me think. And the number of games at club and national level is not coming down.”
“I will definitely continue to be a fan of this national team and I really hope that we can continue the upward trend together – and then there is nothing to stop us from being one of the prime contenders for the title at the 2026 World Cup. We have a fantastic coach, a really strong squad and a great team spirit.”
According to Spanish media, Gundogan’s club future is also uncertain. He is reported to be unhappy at Barca only one year after making his move from Manchester City. However, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is convinced Gundogan will stay with the club this season.
Gundogan became the first German footballer of Turkish descent to captain his national team.
“Ilkay was an outstanding captain, with whom I would have liked to continue working,” said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. “The door to the national team is never completely closed, but we respect his decision and wish him all the best for his future, both professionally and privately.”
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