İlkay Gündoğan has announced his retirement from international football, with an emotional address to fans on Monday. The 33-year-old most recently captained Germany at EURO 2024, and earned 82 caps for his country.
"After several weeks of reflection, I've arrived at the decision that it's time to end my international career. I'm incredibly proud when I look back on the 82 caps I've earned for my country – it's a number I never dreamed of reaching when I made my debut for Germany back in 2011. The highlight was, of course, having the honour of captaining the team during our home EUROs this past summer! After everything that happened in the previous years, we were finally able to make our country proud again – I'm very happy to have been a part of that. However, even before the tournament I felt some tiredness, not only physically but mentally as well, which gave me reason to think. The number of games at club level, as well as internationally, also aren't getting any less. I will definitely continue to follow this team as a fan and hope that they will be able to continue this positive development – if they do, then it's not out of the question to be amongst the favourites for the 2026 World Cup. We have a fantastic coach, a strong team and an incredible team spirit. Thank you to all the fans, staff, coaches and teammates that have accompanied me on this journey. It was an honour. Thank you, Germany!" Gündoğan shared in a social media post.
19 games as captain
Gündoğan's senior debut for Germany was a EURO qualifier back on 11th October 2011 against Belgium. A series of injuries prevented Gündoğan from featuring more and from taking part in major tournaments with the side. He missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to injury, as well as the 2016 EUROs in France. Despite these setbacks, Gündoğan always managed to fight his way back into the team. From Joachim Löw to Hansi Flick, and now Julian Nagelsmann, each coach made clear that when Gündoğan was fit, he would be an essential figure within the squad. Gündoğan was named captain in September 2023, becoming the first player with a migratory background to don the armband. He went on to captain Germany on 19 of his 82 total appearances for the side, scoring 19 times.
Nagelsmann: "A fantastic captain"
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann said: "I'm incredibly proud that İlkay was our captain, he was fantastic for us at the last EUROs. I was always fascinated and impressed by his intelligence, his sense of security on the ball and his clever and accurate passing. We expect our players to play passes with intention, which İlkay always did. He rarely sought the spotlight for himself, but instead often allowed his teammates to shine. We will miss his skilful ways as well as his vision. He was an important point of contact for myself and the team, and it was very helpful to be able to talk things through with him, even outside of football. He's an intelligent, thoughtful and very warm-hearted person. İlkay was an amazing captain, and I would have liked to have been able to continue working with him. The door is never fully shut for anyone in the national team, but we respect his decision and wish him all the best for the future, both on and off the pitch."
Sporting director Rudi Völler said: "İlkay is a fantastic footballer, and he was able to impress all of Germany with his unique skills, intelligence, movement and passing at our home EUROs. He earned the respect of his teammates, who could look to him as an example of his professionalism and his mentality. His team spirit and his love for the game made İlkay a model captain both on and off the pitch, as well as being an important point of contact for Julian and myself. We will miss him for exactly these reasons."
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said: "İlkay Gündoğan is a great footballer and an exceptional ambassador for German football. His quiet leadership style had a way of bringing people together and, even without having won any silverware, make him a great captain in my eyes. He led a diverse team during our home EUROs, who were able to thrill fans in Germany and around the world with their creative and free-flowing style of play. I want to thank İlkay for his exceptional performances on the pitch as our captain and his trustful manner as the spokesman for our national team."
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İlkay Gündoğan has announced his retirement from international football, with an emotional address to fans on Monday. The 33-year-old most recently captained Germany at EURO 2024, and earned 82 caps for his country.
"After several weeks of reflection, I've arrived at the decision that it's time to end my international career. I'm incredibly proud when I look back on the 82 caps I've earned for my country – it's a number I never dreamed of reaching when I made my debut for Germany back in 2011. The highlight was, of course, having the honour of captaining the team during our home EUROs this past summer! After everything that happened in the previous years, we were finally able to make our country proud again – I'm very happy to have been a part of that. However, even before the tournament I felt some tiredness, not only physically but mentally as well, which gave me reason to think. The number of games at club level, as well as internationally, also aren't getting any less. I will definitely continue to follow this team as a fan and hope that they will be able to continue this positive development – if they do, then it's not out of the question to be amongst the favourites for the 2026 World Cup. We have a fantastic coach, a strong team and an incredible team spirit. Thank you to all the fans, staff, coaches and teammates that have accompanied me on this journey. It was an honour. Thank you, Germany!" Gündoğan shared in a social media post.
19 games as captain
Gündoğan's senior debut for Germany was a EURO qualifier back on 11th October 2011 against Belgium. A series of injuries prevented Gündoğan from featuring more and from taking part in major tournaments with the side. He missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to injury, as well as the 2016 EUROs in France. Despite these setbacks, Gündoğan always managed to fight his way back into the team. From Joachim Löw to Hansi Flick, and now Julian Nagelsmann, each coach made clear that when Gündoğan was fit, he would be an essential figure within the squad. Gündoğan was named captain in September 2023, becoming the first player with a migratory background to don the armband. He went on to captain Germany on 19 of his 82 total appearances for the side, scoring 19 times.
Nagelsmann: "A fantastic captain"
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann said: "I'm incredibly proud that İlkay was our captain, he was fantastic for us at the last EUROs. I was always fascinated and impressed by his intelligence, his sense of security on the ball and his clever and accurate passing. We expect our players to play passes with intention, which İlkay always did. He rarely sought the spotlight for himself, but instead often allowed his teammates to shine. We will miss his skilful ways as well as his vision. He was an important point of contact for myself and the team, and it was very helpful to be able to talk things through with him, even outside of football. He's an intelligent, thoughtful and very warm-hearted person. İlkay was an amazing captain, and I would have liked to have been able to continue working with him. The door is never fully shut for anyone in the national team, but we respect his decision and wish him all the best for the future, both on and off the pitch."
Sporting director Rudi Völler said: "İlkay is a fantastic footballer, and he was able to impress all of Germany with his unique skills, intelligence, movement and passing at our home EUROs. He earned the respect of his teammates, who could look to him as an example of his professionalism and his mentality. His team spirit and his love for the game made İlkay a model captain both on and off the pitch, as well as being an important point of contact for Julian and myself. We will miss him for exactly these reasons."
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said: "İlkay Gündoğan is a great footballer and an exceptional ambassador for German football. His quiet leadership style had a way of bringing people together and, even without having won any silverware, make him a great captain in my eyes. He led a diverse team during our home EUROs, who were able to thrill fans in Germany and around the world with their creative and free-flowing style of play. I want to thank İlkay for his exceptional performances on the pitch as our captain and his trustful manner as the spokesman for our national team."
