The 33-year-old from Neukölln in Berlin said it was time for him to end his career after more than 12 years with the senior German men's team, clearing the way for "the young generation." Rüdiger's announcement comes two months after Germany's World Cup exit in a penalty shootout to Paraguay, and a day after Argentina great Lionel Messi announced his international retirement. He played 110 minutes of the loss to Paraguay.
Rüdiger thanked his teammates for every shared challenge on the field and their camaraderie and friendships, while also mentioning former Germany coaches Joachim Löw, 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.