Antonio Rudiger has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 33.

The 33-year-old Real Madrid defender confirmed a report first carried by Sky Germany, saying the time had come for him to step away from the Germany national team.

Rudiger made his senior international debut in 2014 and went on to earn 86 caps for his country, scoring three goals.

In a statement, the defender said:

“After some thought, the time has come for me to end my national team career and make way for the younger generation. When I wore the DFB jersey for the first time in 2014, I could never have imagined even in my dreams that it would become 86 international matches.”

He added:

“A new chapter begins for me now, in which I will concentrate fully on my club. Thank you for being with me on this journey.”

Across his 12 years with the national team, Rudiger featured in six major tournaments and also won the 2017 Confederations Cup.