Germany captain and Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from international football. He was part of the squad that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 31-year-old former Bayern Munich player, said, “I had the opportunity to experience moments that have been indescribably beautiful and successful. I desperately wanted to win that title that we haven’t been able to bring to Germany since 1996. It was not to be, and I have to accept it. With the victory of the World Cup in 2014, we achieved something historically and emotionally that I will not be able to repeat in my career. Therefore it is right and sensible to stop and to wish the team all the best for qualification and the World Cup in 2018

Schweinsteiger made his international debut in 2004 and holds the German record for European Championship appearances, having played 18 times at the tournament. The record was broken when he was brought on as a substitute in Germany’s 1-0 group-stage win over Northern Ireland, surpassing Philipp Lahm’s total of 14, before Joachim Low’s side went out in the semi-finals to France. He retires as Germany’s fourth most-capped player of all time on 120 – behind Lothar Matthaus (150), Miroslav Klose (137) and Lukas Podolski (129).