Manuel Neuer, the German national team’s longtime goalkeeper, has announced his retirement from international football. Neuer played for Germany for 15 years, making 124 appearances.
Neuer was part of the German squad that won the 2014 World Cup. He kept 4 clean sheets and won the tournament’s Golden Glove award. Over his international career, Neuer recorded 51 shutouts and won 81 of his 124 matches for Germany.
Neuer is the fifth-highest appearance maker for the German national team, behind only Lukas Podolski, Thomas Muller, Miroslav Klose, and Lothar Matthaus.
In his retirement announcement, Neuer expressed pride and gratitude for his time with the national team. He especially highlighted the 2014 World Cup triumph and the recent home European Championship, where he said he felt “a very special euphoria and cohesion all over the country.”
Neuer’s retirement paves the way for longtime backup goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen of Barcelona to take over as Germany’s number one.
