Popp to retire from Germany women's national soccer team

WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Alexandra Popp is retiring from the German women's national soccer team next month after a career which included the Olympic gold medal in 2016, the bronze at the Paris Olympics this year and finishing runner-up at the 2022 European Championship.

The 33-year-old forward and team captain said Monday she will play her 145th and last game for Germany in a friendly against Australia on Oct. 28 in the city of Duisburg, where her professional career began.

Popp said her decision was based on gut feeling but came after “long, tearful deliberations” and a desire to end her national-team career on her own terms.

“The fire that ignited in me 18 years ago (when Popp 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 was the last remaining player from the 2016 Olympic win, and is set to retire with the ninth-most games played in the team's history. She is the third-highest scorer for Germany with 67 goals.

Popp is going to continue as a player at club level with Wolfsburg, where she has a contract through the end of the 2024-25 season.

Popp made her full international debut for Germany in 2010 and played at four World Cups. She is the third senior player to retire from the German national team since the Paris Olympics. All of them play for Wolfsburg.

Goalkeeper Merle Frohms announced her retirement at the age of 29 after she was benched at the Olympic tournament and defender Marina Hegering followed soon after.

Popp is a three-time European club champion after winning what was then the UEFA Women's Cup in 2009 with Duisburg and the rebranded Champions League twice with Wolfsburg.

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