Sebastian Rudy officially retires from football
Long-time TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and German national team midfielder Sebastian Rudy confirmed his retirement from professional football yesterday.
After TSG 1899 Hoffenheim opted not to renew his expiring contract this past spring, 33-year-old Sebastian Rudy has been without a club for several months. On Wednesday, the former German national team midfielder - together with the club at which he spent the majority of his career - confirmed his retirement from professional football.
Rudy came up through the VfB Stuttgart ranks before joining Hoffenheim in 2010. He debuted for the German national team shortly before the 2014 World Cup, eventually becoming a regular for Bundestrainer Joachim Löw. Rudy was part of the 2017 Confederations Cup winning squad and started one group-stage-match in the 2018 World Cup.
German giants FC Bayern München snapped him up on a free in the summer of 2017, but Rudy was ultimately unable to establish himself with the German record champions. Schalke were nevertheless willing to give the talented midfielder a shot, paying Bayern some €16 million for him one year later. He was loaned back out to Hoffenheim twice by Schalke before officially rejoining die Kraichgauer in the summer of 2021.
Rudy's Bundesliga career spanned 358 matches. He scored 17 league goals and resisted 40 assists. As a senior German international, he was capped 29 times. In an interview published on the TSG's website, Rudy noted that he still enjoyed playing football and would continue to work the pitch in the German amateur ranks. Rudy's teammate Oliver Baumann also contributed a statement.
Baumann poked fun at Rudy's physique by invoking his famous nickname
"Congratulations on an extraordinary career," Baumann said, "We've known each other since we were young and you've really grown on me. Stay as crazy a bird as you are! Do a few push-ups now and then and a few pull-ups - that's all you did anyway."