It was an honour! Thank you, Germany!: FC Barcelona 33-year-old footballer Ilkay Gundogan have officially announces his international retirement from football

There have been rumors about Ilkay Gundogan’s future at FC Barcelona, and now he has revealed that he is retiring from international football.

The 33-year-old midfield powerhouse made the news on social media, ending a 13-year international career.

Gundogan did make his start for Germany in October 2011, when Joachim Low was manager. He went on to play 82 games and score 19 goals. But the midfielder never won a big award with Die Mannschaft.

This summer, Gundogan led the German national team to the UEFA Euro 2024 in his home country, but they were beaten in the quarterfinals by eventual winners Spain and could not win the tournament.

Gundogan wrote, “Dear Football Germany, “confirming his choice. After giving it some thought for a few weeks, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to leave the national team.

“I’m proud to have played in 82 international games for my country. That’s a number I never thought I’d see when I first joined the senior national team in 2011.”

Gundogan went on to say that leading his country to victory at the Euros this year in his home country was the best moment of his international career.

But he said he was mentally and physically tired even before the Euros, which is what made him make his choice, especially since the number of games he plays for his club and for his country has been going up.

In the end, he wrote, “I will definitely continue to support this national team, and I really hope that we can keep going in the right direction. Then there is nothing stopping us from being one of the strongest contenders for the World Cup title in 2026.”

“Our coach is great, our team is strong, and we have great team spirit.” Thank you to all of my friends, staff, coaches, and teammates who have been with me this whole time. It was a pleasure! Thanks, Germany!