Monday 15 August 2016 14:35, UK
Galatasaray forward Lukas Podolski has announced his retirement from international football with Germany.
Podolski said in a social media post he had informed Germany coach Joachim Low that he is retiring from the national team with immediate effect.
The 31-year-old conceded it was a difficult decision to make, saying "everything has its time and my time with the DFB (German national federation) is over".
Podolski, who was born in Poland, has played 129 games for Germany over 12 years, scoring 48 goals and winning the World Cup two years ago.
His final cap for Germany came in the 3-0 last-16 victory over Slovakia, when Podolski came off the bench in his only appearance at Euro 2016.
Podolski follows former Bayern Munich and Germany team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger in quitting the national team after the European Championship.
The former Arsenal forward, who moved to his present club in July 2015, has also played for Inter Milan and had two spells with Cologne.
