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Germany's Toni Kroos announces international retirement

In a statement, Kroos said that he had already planned to retire after Euro 2020, and he knew he will not feature in the 2022 World Cup.

Updated on: Jul 2, 2021, 18:56:06 IST
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Germany's World Cup-winning midfielder Toni Kroos on Friday announced retirement from international football. In a statement, Kroos said that he had already planned to retire after Euro 2020, and he knew he will not feature in the 2022 World Cup.

Germany's Toni Kroos applauds fans. File (Pool via REUTERS)
Germany's Toni Kroos applauds fans. File (Pool via REUTERS)

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"I have played 106 times for Germany. There will not be another time," the Real Madrid midfielder wrote on Twitter.


Germany were knocked out of Euro 2020 after losing their Round of 16 match 2-0 to England on Tuesday.

"I had already made the decision to retire after this tournament for some time. It had been clear to me for a while that I will not be available for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar," he added.

Kroos further wrote that his priority going forwards will be to spend time with his family.

"Mainly because I want to focus fully on my goals with Real Madrid for the next few years," he added. "In addition, from now on I will deliberately allow myself breaks that have not existed as a national player for eleven years.

"It was a great honour for me to be able to wear this jersey for such a long time. I did it with pride and passion."

Kroos was part of the Germany national team that had defeated Argentina 1-0 to claim the 2014 FIFA World Cup trophy.

(More details awaited)

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