BERLIN (AP) \u2014 Real Madrid defender Antonio R\u00fcdiger has retired from the German national team.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old from Neuk\u00f6lln in Berlin said in an Instagram post<\/a> on Tuesday it was time for him to end his career after more than 12 years with the senior German men\u2019s team to clear the way for \u201cthe young generation.\u201d<\/p>\n R\u00fcdiger\u2019s announcement comes two months after Germany\u2019s World Cup exit<\/a> in a penalty shootout to Paraguay, and a day after Argentina great Lionel Messi announced his international retirement<\/a>. R\u00fcdiger played 110 minutes of the loss to Paraguay.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first wore the German jersey in 2014, I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that it would eventually lead to 86 international appearances,\u201d R\u00fcdiger wrote. \u201cEven though the major titles eluded us in recent tournaments and we had to endure some painful defeats, this time was an incredibly special period for me, one that will shape me forever.\u201d<\/p>\n R\u00fcdiger thanked his teammates \u201cfor every shared challenge on the field\u201d and their camaraderie and friendships, while he also mentioned former Germany coaches Joachim L\u00f6w, Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann, as well as Germany youth coach Horst Hrubesch. He also thanked fans for their support and said he was going to concentrate on his career with Madrid.<\/p>\n R\u00fcdiger joined the Spanish powerhouse from Chelsea in 2022, after stints with Roma and Stuttgart. He won a league and Champions League double with Madrid in 2024, while he also won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021.<\/p>\n