German world cup winning goalkeeper Manuel Neuer announces his retirement from international football – after making his debut 15 years ago

German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has announced his retirement from international football after making his debut almost 15 years ago.

The 38-year-old Bayern Munich star posted a video statement on his Instagram, in which he described some of his fondest memories of his national team and thanked the German Football Association (DFB).

“Dear fans, dear football Germany,” he began.

“That day had to come sometime. Today is the end of my career with the German national football team. Anyone who knows me knows that this was not an easy decision.

‘It’s been more than 15 years since I made my debut. We played against the United Arab Emirates and I was incredibly nervous.

Neuer, who made his international debut in a 2009 friendly against the United Arab Emirates, went on to make 124 appearances for Die Mannschaft, keeping 51 clean sheets.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs with the national team. I think everyone knows the highlight. The victory in the Maracana stadium against Argentina, where we became world champions.

‘When I look back today, it fills me with pride and a lot of gratitude. That I stood on the pitch with all my teammates and that I was captain of the German national team for more than seven years until my injury.

‘What happened next was a bonus for me and the fact that I was back on the field at my own European Championship was the icing on the cake.’

He is the second high-profile German international to announce his retirement in recent weeks, after Ilkay Gundogan announced on Monday that he too would be quitting the German national team.

Neuer added: “My thanks go to all the DFB employees. First of all, of course, to the coaches, the goalkeeping coaches and all the staff members. We were really a family and especially to the teammates, with whom it was always fun to be on the pitch and train.”

More to come…