German defender Antonio Rudiger has announced his international football career

Germany defender Antonio Rudiger has called time on his international career, announcing on Tuesday that he is retiring from the national team after 12 years representing his country. The 33-year-old centre-back ended his career in Germany with 86 appearances after making his senior debut in 2014.

He became a regular in the center of defence, featuring in three World Cups and several European Championship campaigns. However, he will not be part of Jurgen Klopp’s Germany side when he announced his decision to retire from international football on Tuesday 1 September.

“After some time thinking about it, I feel the time has come for me to end my career with the national team and make way for the younger generation.”

“When I first pulled on a DFB shirt in 2014, I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would eventually lead to 86 international caps.”

“Although we failed to win the biggest title in the last few tournaments and suffered painful defeats, this period was an extremely special chapter in my life that will stay with me forever,” Rudiger said on Instagram.

Rudiger said the decision was made to focus on his club career while giving younger players the opportunity to take over the next chapter of German football.

“Now a new chapter begins for me, in which I will focus fully on my club,” said Rudiger.

Rudiger was not included in Germany’s squad for their 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil.

His international career included disappointing campaigns at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, where Germany failed to progress from the group stage. They were eliminated by Paraguay in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, and that defeat marked Rudiger’s last game for the national side.

The Berlin-born defender began his football journey in the youth teams of Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart before moving abroad and establishing himself at some of Europe’s biggest clubs. His career included spells at Roma, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Rudiger enjoyed great success with Chelsea, helping the London club lift the Champions League trophy in 2021. The following year, he moved to Real Madrid and added another major accolade by winning both LaLiga and the Champions League in 2024.

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Published on:

01 Sep 2026 22:14 IST