Austria captain Christian Fuchs has announced his retirement from international duty following their exit at Euro 2016.
After qualifying for the competition with an unbeaten record, Austria produced a trio of underwhelming performances and were eliminated after finishing bottom of Group F.
Their final match was a dramatic 2-1 defeat to Iceland, and the 30-year-old left-back has confirmed that was his last outing for the national team.
I am proud of our national team and the development we had in recent years and that we managed to qualify for the first time in history for a European Championship, Fuchs said in a video posted on his official Facebook account.
The left back ended his international career with Austria as their eighth most capped player, making 78 appearances for his nation
— Leicester City (@LCFC)
The tournament itself was not satisfying, we all know that. Still the adventure in France was very special for me. I could lead my team on the pitch as captain and was able to enjoy the atmosphere.
That is why I would like to thank every staff member and every coach who made that possible. And I want to thank all the fans who pushed us during the games and in every game of the qualification and who have always been positive. That is very important to me, because that is how you support a team.
Still I would like to announce here, that the match against Iceland was my last one in the red-white-red shirt. Looking back, I have to say I am very proud on the 10 years I spent with the national team. I did everything with pure passion and like I said, I am very proud.
This does not mean we re not going to see each other again. I am sure we will meet again in other roles. Everything is possible.
I wish the team all the best for the qualification for the World Cup 2018. I will keep my fingers crossed.
Congratulations on a fantastic international career with Austria, !
— Leicester City (@LCFC)
Fuchs made his Austria debut as a substitute in a 4-1 defeat to Croatia in May 2006, going on to make 78 appearances for the national team.
The left-back was handed permanent captaincy in 2012, playing a key role as the team broke into the top 10 of the FIFA rankings.
Fuchs will now turn his sole attention to competing with Premier League champions Leicester City, who take part in their maiden Champions League campaign next season.
