Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger announced his retirement from international football on Tuesday, two months after making his final appearance for the national team at the 2026 World Cup. The 33-year-old earned 86 caps for the four-time world champions.
“After a period of reflection, the time has come for me to end my national team career and make way for a new generation,” Rüdiger shared in a social media post.
Rüdiger made his debut for Germany in 2014, just a month before the team won the World Cup in Brazil, although he was not part of the tournament squad. He now plans to focus on his club career with Real Madrid, where he remains under contract for the rest of the season. “A new chapter begins for me now, in which I will focus entirely on my club,” he said.
Born in Berlin, Rüdiger developed through the youth systems at Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart before moving to Roma and later joining Chelsea in 2017, where he was part of the 2021 Champions League-winning squad.
Rüdiger’s international career coincided with a challenging period for Germany, who exited the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at the group stage, and suffered a shock last-32 defeat to Paraguay at the 2026 tournament—his final game for the national side. “Even though we missed out on the biggest titles in recent years and endured some painful defeats, this was a uniquely special chapter in my life—one that will stay with me forever,” Rüdiger reflected.
His most notable achievement with Germany was winning the 2017 Confederations Cup. Rüdiger’s early years at Borussia Dortmund overlapped with current national team coach Jürgen Klopp’s tenure, though he did not make a first-team appearance for the club.
