Ilkay Gündogan announced his retirement from the German national team on Monday in a message posted on social media. The FC Barcelona midfielder expressed how proud he is to have been able to defend his country’s shirt in a total of 82 matches, but pointed out that his body no longer allowed him to extend his international career: “It was a great honour to have led my team as captain at the last European Championship, but even before the tournament, I felt a certain fatigue in my body and in my head, which made me think,” the German explained on his Instagram account.
Gündogan, 33, made his senior Germany debut in 2011 under Joachim Low. In those 13 years, the former Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City player has played in three European Championships (2012, 2021 and 2024) and two World Cups (2018 and 2022) with his country, having missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Germany lifted the World Cup, due to a back injury. He also missed Euro 2016 due to a dislocated kneecap.
“I will definitely remain a fan of this team and I hope that together we can continue the upward trend to be one of the candidates for the 2026 World Cup. We have a fantastic coach and a very strong team,” Gündogan continued in his statement, before concluding: “It was an honour. Thank you, Germany.”
The announcement comes at a time when the German midfielder is recovering from an eyebrow injury he suffered while playing for the Joan Gamper trophy. Hansi Flick decided not to take any risks and left him out of the squad for the Blaugrana’s LaLiga opener last Saturday against Valencia, but he is expected to be available for the second matchday against Athletic Bilbao.
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