Ilkay Gündogan has announced his retirement from international football, ending a distinguished career with Germany.
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The 33-year-old Barcelona midfielder shared the news on social media on Monday, August 19 2024 reflecting on his 82 caps and 19 goals for his country.
Gündogan, who captained Germany during the home European Championship this summer, expressed pride in his achievements.
“After a few weeks of consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to end my national team career,” he wrote.
“I look back with great pride on 82 international matches for my home country—a number I could never have dreamed of when I made my debut in 2011.”
He highlighted leading Germany as captain in the Euro 2024 as a career highlight and expressed contentment with the team’s performance despite their elimination in the quarterfinals.
“My highlight was definitely the huge honour of being able to lead the team as captain at our home European Championship last summer!” Gündogan said. “We finally managed to make the nation proud again.”
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Gündogan also mentioned feeling fatigue from the demanding schedule of club and international football, which contributed to his decision to retire.
Despite stepping away from the national team, he remains a fan of Germany and is hopeful for their future success.
“I will definitely continue to be a fan of this national team and I really hope that we can continue the upward trend together,” he said, looking forward to the 2026 World Cup.
His retirement follows that of Thomas Müller, who also retired from international duty after Euro 2024.
Gündogan’s departure marks a significant change for Germany, who have struggled in recent tournaments, including a group-stage exit in the 2018 World Cup and a round-of-16 defeat at Euro 2020.
As for his club future, Gündogan’s situation at Barcelona remains uncertain. He has reportedly expressed a desire to leave the club, just a year after his move from Manchester City.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has indicated confidence that Gündogan will remain with the team this season, although discussions about his future are ongoing.
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