Thomas Muller hinted that he could retire from international football after Germany were eliminated from the World Cup on Thursday night.
The four-time champions were again eliminated from the group stage, four years after their embarrassing display as defending champions in Russia..
Muller said in his post-match interview: ‘We have had many great moments together. Thank you for everything.’
He added: ‘If that was my last game for Germany, a few words to the German fans: It was a tremendous pleasure.
‘Thank you very much. I always tried to show heart on the pitch. Sometimes there were tears of joy, sometimes pain. I did it with love. I need to think about everything else now.’
The forward, 33, scored 44 goals in 121 appearances and played an instrumental role in his nation’s World Cup victory in 2014.
‘I believe for the future of German football we need to do things differently in training,’ said Flick, who took over as coach after last year’s European Championship.
‘For years we are talking about new goalkeepers and wingbacks, but Germany was always able to defend well. We need the basics.
‘For the future, for the next 10 years, it is very important to focus on the new generation of players.’
