ALEXANDRA POPP is retiring from the German women’s national football 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 announced today she will play her 145th and last game for Germany in a friendly against Australia on October 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.