Germany defender Rudiger announces international retirement

German defender Antonio Rudiger has announced his retirement from international football. He made 86 appearances for Germany, debuting in 2014. Rudiger's final match was in a Round of 32 loss to Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup, according to The Indian Express.

Rudiger will now focus on his club career with Real Madrid. In a social media post, he expressed gratitude to his teammates, coaching and support staff, and fans for their support throughout his international career.

Rudiger thanked several coaches, including Jogi Löw, Hansi Flick, and Julian Nagelsmann, who he said accompanied and shaped him on his journey with the German Football Association (DFB), as well as his mentor in the youth national teams, Horst Hrubesch.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, The Indian Express — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.