Photo: X-Thomas Muller
Berlin: After a disastrous Euro 2024 in which the host team was eliminated in the quarterfinals, Germany striker Thomas Müller announced on Monday that he was retiring from international football.
After 131 national team games and 45 goals, I am saying goodbye," Müller said in a video statement announcing his decision.
Müller, who will turn 35 in September, had a significant role on the German team that won the World Cup in 2014. The dynamic forward also netted the first goal in Germany's historic 7-1 victory over Brazil, the host team, in the semifinal.
"When I played my first international match for the German national team over 14 years ago, I could never have dreamed of all this," Thomas Müller said in the video, AFP reported.
"It always made me very proud to play for my country. We celebrated together and sometimes shed a tear together," he said.
Müller had made an emotional reference to retiring after Germany's exit in the 2024 European Championship.
The hosts of the competition succumbed to Spain 2-1 in the quarterfinals; Spain went on to defeat England to win the title on Sunday.
Following the Spain match, Thomas Müller announced that he would speak with Julian Nagelsmann, the coach of the national team, to determine if it was the "sensible option" to retire in favour of younger players. The only member of Germany's 2014 World Cup-winning team still playing for the national team is keeper Manuel Neuer.
Toni Kroos, a midfielder for Real Madrid and Germany, declared prior to Euro 2024 that he will hang up his boots after the competition. Thomas Müller, on a contract that runs through 2025, will play for his club Bayern Munich, unlike Kroos. Sixth-highest goalscorer in Germany's history, Thomas Müller has played in more games than any other player, only surpassed in total by Lothar Matthaeus and Miroslav Klose.