Switzerland’s goalkeeper Yann Sommer saves a penalty by France’s Kylian Mbappe during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match on June 29, 2021.
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After a decade as Switzerland’s No.1 goalkeeper, Yann Sommer retired from the national team on Monday to focus on playing for Inter Milan.
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The 35-year-old announced his retirement from the national team on Monday morning.
The Swiss goalkeeper has played 94 international matches over the past 12 years and kept 35 clean sheets. Since the summer of 2014, he has been the regular goalkeeper at three European Championships and two World Cups.
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“After careful consideration, I have decided to end my career as goalkeeper for the Swiss national team. It was a great honour and a privilege for me to be able to represent my country in 94 international matches at the highest level over 12 years. With the conclusion of another great final round at the European Championships in Germany, where I previously spent unforgettable years in the Bundesliga, the moment has now come to say goodbye,” Sommer said in a statement.
He told Swiss public television, SRF: “On the one hand, I’m looking forward to the new chapter, but of course, I’ll miss the times with the boys. Celebrating with the fans, that was the part that made the decision difficult.”
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He added: “There’s an incredible amount left, everything remains. Every tournament, every highlight will have a place in my heart. The Mbappé penalty, every round of 16 qualification. We were very successful as a national team.”
Return to FC Basel?
Even though he now has more free time and more time for his family, things shouldn’t be too quiet, Sommer told SRF.
He has major ambitions with Inter Milan. But what about a return to FC Basel? “I haven’t thought about it yet. I still have a contract and I feel fit. I’m not ruling anything out. But at the moment it’s not an issue for me, I’m very happy at Inter. But I’m not thinking about the next few years yet,” he declared.
How does he feel about narrowly missing out on even greater successes, such as reaching the semi-finals in several major tournaments? “Of course you strive for maximum success. The first moment of elimination is always extremely painful. Afterwards I always reflect on what happened. From the preparation to the atmosphere, even with the fans. Then things like that take precedence. In the end, you can’t change it if you missed a step to move on,” he said.
“In the future, I will support the national team as a fan and cheer for them.”
Translated from German by DeepL/sb
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