Ilkay Gündogan announces retirement from international football

Gundogan made his debut for the German national team in 2011.

After leading his country in the 2024 European Championship earlier this summer, who were eliminated in the quarter-final, Ilkay Gündogan confirmed his retirement from the German national football team on Monday.

The 33-year-old Barcelona midfielder has made 82 appearances for his nation, scoring 19 goals. He made his decision known on social media.

Gündogan’s farewell comes after Thomas Müller’s announcement to retire from international competition following Germany’s quarterfinal elimination by Spain in the 2024 Euro tournament.

“After a few weeks of consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to end my national team career,” Ilkay Gündogan 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 for the senior national team in 2011.

“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.

“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.”

Gundogan who led Man City to the UEFA Champions League trophy in the 2022-23 season joined Barcelona last summer. But now his future remains doubtful at the club.

Even after winning 2-1 to start the LaLiga season on Saturday, Barcelona are still having registration problems. Now speculations regarding the German player leaving Barcelona have started making rounds.

Just one year after joining Barcelona from Manchester City, Gündogan became an instant hit at the club. He led the team to the Champions League quarterfinal last season. Now it remains to be seen where his future lies as the summer transfer window is nearing its end.

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