Germany captain Alexandra Popp has retired from the national team after a 14-year stint.
The 33-year-old striker made 144 appearances for Germany and scored 64 goals, ranking third on the all-time scorers list for the national team behind Birgit Prinz and Heidi Mohr.
“The fire that ignited in me 18 years ago [when she made her debut for the youth national teams] and became stronger from year to year is now almost completely burnt out,” she said in a statement.
“It was always important to take this crucial decision myself, by me alone from within myself. Neither my body, which is a ticking time bomb, or any other person should get there ahead of me.”
Popp, who made her international debut in 2010, won gold with Germany at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Following her first major medal, she struggled with injury and was unable to take part in the knockout stages of Euro 2017.
Popp was named captain ahead of the 2019 World Cup under head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.
Considered one of the best goalscorers in the game, Popp finished sixth in the women’s Ballon d’Or in 2022 and seventh in 2023.
The three-time German Footballer of the Year (2014, 2016 and 2023) considered retiring from international duty after a disappointing 2023 World Cup, where Germany failed to make it out of the group stage.
She eventually opted to carry on and led Germany to a bronze at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Germany reached the final of Euro 2022 against hosts England, but Popp missed the clash at Wembley after getting injured during the warmup. The Lionesses went on to lift the trophy after a 2-1 win in the final.
At club level, Popp has won the Champions League three times (twice with Wolfsburg and once with Duisburg), seven Frauen Bundesliga titles with Wolfsburg, and 10 DFB-Pokal Frauen Cups.