After 120 international appearances and 24 goals, it has come to an end: Captain Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from international football. At DFB.de, the 31-year-old reveals why he made this decision and says farewell to the fans.
DFB.de: Bastian, What influenced you to make this decision and step down from international football?
Bastian Schweinsteiger: Over the past year, I haven’t been able to gather enough match practice and I have lost a bit of rhythm, but Jogi Löw kept me in his plans regardless. This was obviously great for me. We all gave our best in France. We knocked Italy out of a major tournament for the first time, but the defeat to France in Marseille was still a very tough thing to take. It should not have been like that. After the tournament, I obviously started to consider my international retirement. So it was a decision that had been coming, but one that I made over a very short period of time.
DFB.de: How difficult is it to be leaving international football for good?
Schweinsteiger: Extremely difficult. Winning the World Cup with the team in 2014 is an achievement that I will never beat as a footballer. We achieved something emotional and historical, which will now never be repeated in my career. I have taken part in seven major tournaments. Rudi Völler was the first person to pick me, then Jürgen Klinsmann and then Jogi Löw. I have had so many exceptional teammates, and we put in an incredible team performance to become world champions. I have had an amazing time.
DFB.de: After you step down, what do you want to see from the team?
Schweinsteiger: Obviously the defence of our title in Russia. We all saw in France how many outstanding young players are coming through. We had to compete in the EUROs without a number of big players, who everyone would have wanted alongside them during the tournament. Jogi Löw is taking the team in a good direction. I can no longer actively help out the team, but I will try to keep a link with the team in one way or another. To conclude, I would like to say to all Germany fans: It was an honour to play for you, and thank you for everything that we have been through together.
After 120 international appearances and 24 goals, it has come to an end: Captain Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from international football. At DFB.de, the 31-year-old reveals why he made this decision and says farewell to the fans.
DFB.de: Bastian, What influenced you to make this decision and step down from international football?
Bastian Schweinsteiger: Over the past year, I haven’t been able to gather enough match practice and I have lost a bit of rhythm, but Jogi Löw kept me in his plans regardless. This was obviously great for me. We all gave our best in France. We knocked Italy out of a major tournament for the first time, but the defeat to France in Marseille was still a very tough thing to take. It should not have been like that. After the tournament, I obviously started to consider my international retirement. So it was a decision that had been coming, but one that I made over a very short period of time.
DFB.de: How difficult is it to be leaving international football for good?
Schweinsteiger: Extremely difficult. Winning the World Cup with the team in 2014 is an achievement that I will never beat as a footballer. We achieved something emotional and historical, which will now never be repeated in my career. I have taken part in seven major tournaments. Rudi Völler was the first person to pick me, then Jürgen Klinsmann and then Jogi Löw. I have had so many exceptional teammates, and we put in an incredible team performance to become world champions. I have had an amazing time.
DFB.de: After you step down, what do you want to see from the team?
Schweinsteiger: Obviously the defence of our title in Russia. We all saw in France how many outstanding young players are coming through. We had to compete in the EUROs without a number of big players, who everyone would have wanted alongside them during the tournament. Jogi Löw is taking the team in a good direction. I can no longer actively help out the team, but I will try to keep a link with the team in one way or another. To conclude, I would like to say to all Germany fans: It was an honour to play for you, and thank you for everything that we have been through together.
