Amid the turmoil surrounding his future at FC Barcelona, Ilkay Gündogan has made the decision to say goodbye to his career as a footballer with the German national team. The 33-year-old was the captain of the team managed by Julian Nagelsmann and will not be called up in the future. The midfielder has decided to step aside after a disappointing Euro 20024, where the Teutons were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Spain by a score of 2-1.
The German is the target of hundreds of rumours about his possible desire to leave the culé team this season, but right now he is concentrating on saying goodbye to a great stage of his life. With his country he played 82 games, scoring 19 goals and participating in the World Cups in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. In addition, he was present at the Euro Cups in 2012, 2020 and 2024. The player published an emotional statement on his social networks announcing his decision.
Statement from Gündogan
"Dear Germany, After a few weeks of thinking about it, I made the decision that it was time to end my career with the national team. I look back with great pride on 82 international caps for my home country – a figure I could never have imagined when I made my senior debut in 2011. The highlight was clearly the great honour of being able to lead the team as captain at the European Championships on home soil last summer! After all these years, we have finally managed to make the nation proud again – the fact that I was able to take part in this makes me very happy."
"But even before the tournament I felt a certain tiredness in my body and also in my head, which made me think. And the matches at club and international level do not slow down. I will definitely remain a fan of this national team and I have high hopes that the upward trend can continue together, and then there is nothing wrong with being one of the closest contenders for the title at the 2026 World Cup. We have a fantastic coach, a really strong team and great team spirit. Thank you to all the fans, employees, coaches and teammates who accompanied me on this journey," he concluded.
Germany will now have to find a new captain, while Gündogan will have to make the decision of whether or not to continue at Barcelona this coming season. The club wants him to stay, but everything will depend on his next plans. With possible offers from Arab, Turkish and English football, it is expected that we will soon know what his next step will be or if we will continue to enjoy his football in Barcelona.