Germany defender Marina Hegering retires from national team after Olympic bronze

FILE - Germany’s Marina Hegering runs for the ball during the women’s Group B soccer match between Germany and Australia at the Velodrome stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany defender Marina Hegering is retiring from the women’s national soccer team after winning an Olympic bronze medal last month.

The 34-year-old defender, who played 42 games for Germany, is set to continue playing for her club Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Wolfsburg said she has a contract until the end of the season and will then join its coaching staff.

Hegering was a starter in the German team which was runner-up to England in the Euro 2022 final and also played at two World Cups, despite only making her national-team debut in 2019 at the age of 28 after years of injuries.

“I have been able to play 42 international games and if someone had told me that 10 years ago, I’d have thought they were crazy,” Hegering said. “I really can call myself a national-team player and fills me with pure happiness and pride.”

Hegering is the latest from Germany’s Olympic squad to retire from international soccer as the team starts a new era under incoming coach Christian Wück.

Goalkeeper Merle Frohms, Hegering’s teammate at Wolfsburg, announced her international retirement last week after she was surprisingly benched at the Olympics.

Germany plays England and Australia in friendlies next month, its first games since the Olympics.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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