Berlin (dpa) – Former Germany goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand, who has been without a club for 14 months, said on Tuesday he has ended his football career.
«I have ended my professional career for good after 17 years,»
Hildebrand said on his homepage.
«Of course there is a certain degree of melancholy in such a step.
But I mostly look back with a lot of satisfaction and gratefulness.»
The 36-year-old named the 2007 Bundesliga title with VfB Stuttgart, the Spanish cup title a year later with Valencia and being part of the Germany squad at the 2006 home World Cup his career highlights.
Hildebrand won seven Germany caps between 2004 and 2007 and spent most of his professional club career at Stuttgart, from 1999 until 2007, after joining the club as a 15-year-old.
He was also at Portugal’s Sporting, Schalke, Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt where he was released in late January 2015 after standing in for then injured Kevin Trapp.
Hildebrand said he plans to obtain his coaching licence and to work in the area of marketing and sponsoring.