Former Germany ‘keeper Jens Lehmann has announced he will retire at the end of the season.
Lehmann, who plays for Stuttgart, said he wanted to see one last year of Champions League action with his current club before retiring.
“Until the end of the season and then that is it,” he told reporters.
“It will be good to move out of the spotlight for a bit.”
Lehmann, who will turn 40 in November, won 61 caps for Germany starting in 1998 and played his last match in his country’s 1-0 defeat against Spain in the Euro 2008 final.
Often controversial, Lehmann would have won many more caps had it not been for rival ‘keeper Oliver Kahn, who dominated in the national team for much of that period.
He was first choice at the 2006 World Cup, helping the hosts reach third place, after saving two penalties against Argentina in the quarter-finals, as well as the Euro 2008.
After beginning his career at Schalke, Lehmann moved to Milan for a season before spending four years at Borussia Dortmund. In 2003 he joined Arsenal and was a member of the 2003-04 side that went through the league campaign unbeaten. He will also be remembered as the first ‘keeper to be sent off in a Champions League final, in the 2006 final defeat against Barcelona.
He returned to Germany in 2008 after falling out of favour at Arsenal and joined Stuttgart.
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