Neuer’s Personal Letter Farewell to the National Team: Will Miss the Pride of Serving the Country, Will Continue to Follow the German Team as a Fan

On August 24th, Neuer announced his retirement from the German national team and will focus on Bayern Munich for the remainder of his career. After announcing his retirement, Neuer also posted a lengthy farewell message on social media.

Making the decision to leave the national team was very difficult, I felt like my heart was being torn apart. Deep in my heart, I am saying: “I will miss the national team very much, I will miss the pride of serving the country, I will miss the days of fighting side by side with my national teammates.”

I had hoped to end my national team career with winning the European Championship. But during this European Championship, I saw everyone fighting for the new generation of German football.

Sixteen months ago, I was wondering whether I should continue my football career. When I broke my leg skiing, I didn’t think it looked that bad at first. But when I found out it wasn’t an ordinary fracture, my future as a player began to be questioned. I was terrified at the time, I think anyone would be. I spent a week in the hospital, and every week after that, doctors and therapists came to my home to treat me and encourage me that I would get better, including the team doctor from Bayern, who played a key role.

But through my relentless efforts, in October 2023, I returned to the pitch, less than ten months before the start of the European Championship. When I was announced as part of the European Championship squad, it was one of the proudest achievements of my life.

During the 2024 European Championship, I was already 38 years old, but I told myself that if you subtract the time lost to injury, my actual age was 35, those three years were stolen from me. I fought for the country again, feeling the passion of the nation once more. I wanted to help the German team win the European Championship again, but ultimately failed, though I have no regrets about it. When my son grows up, I hope the legacy I leave behind when people talk about his father’s career with the German team is fearless play and helping his teammates get better every day.

Going forward, I can focus on Bayern. Despite being 38 years old, I still have a childlike enthusiasm for football. As for the national team, I will continue to follow my former teammates as a fan. I thank everyone for our joint efforts, for the beautiful memories we shared.