Germany has lost its captain — İlkay Gündoğan officially retired from international football today.
Gundo has hung up his boots for Germany. He will no longer represent his country in any upcoming international tournaments, like the 2026 World Cup, giving the following statement (captured by Florian Plettenberg): “After several weeks of consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to end my international career. It was an honor! Thank you, Germany!”
Following his retirement announcement, Julian Nagelsmann and Rudi Völler released their statements about their team captain (captured by @iMiaSanMia):
Nagelsmann: “I’m very proud that İlkay was our captain, he played a fantastic Euros for German football. His intelligence has always fascinated and inspired me, as has his confidence on the ball and his clever passes. We expect our players to play passes with a purpose, and İlkay did just that. He often shone himself, and even more often he let others in the national team shine. We will miss his fine foot, his good ideas. For me and for us, he was an important contact person, the exchange with him was enriching, even on topics outside of football. He is an intelligent, reflective and very warm person. Ilkay was an outstanding captain, with whom I would have liked to continue working. The door to the national team is never completely closed, but we respect his decision and wish him all the best for his future, both professionally and privately.”
Völler: “İlkay is a great footballer. He impressed the whole of Germany at the Euros with his unique abilities on the ball and made the team shine with his great intelligence and his exceptional running and passing. He enjoyed great respect from his teammates, and not only for this reason, many could look up to him and take his professionalism and attitude as an example. With his team spirit and his love of the game, İlkay was an exemplary captain on and off the pitch, always an important contact for Julian and me. And as such, we will miss him.”
It is unclear as to what motivated such a major decision from the FC Barcelona player, but it is clear that Germany fans all over the world will massively miss his presence on the pitch.
Who will don the armband for Germany now? Will Nagelsmann choose to honor Manuel Neuer with his seniority, or Joshua Kimmich with his incredibly mentality? Let us know who you want to be the new captain!
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