© EuroFootball.com
Former German national team defender Christian Ziege, who has represented the team in recent years, was forced to end his professional football career due to a recurring ankle injury.
The 33-year-old captain of "Gladbach" in the Bundesliga club, since his move from "Tottenham" in the summer of 2004, was only able to play 13 matches due to injuries and has now decided to hang up his football boots.
"My playing career is over. I spoke with our physiotherapist Doctor Hertl, and he agrees - my ankle can no longer endure football, and I have to accept that. So, together with the club, we decided to end everything," the player said.
Christian Ziege has won numerous titles in his career - during the seven years spent at the "Bayern" club, he won the German championship twice and lifted the UEFA Cup. In 1999, in his second season abroad, he helped the "Milan" team win the Italian championship.
After that, the German moved to England to play. Ziege played for "Middlesbrough" for a season, represented "Liverpool" in 2001 and won the English league, FA, and UEFA cups. He later spent three years at "Tottenham" club. However, his greatest achievements are related to the German national team - Ziege was a member of the team that won the European Championship in 1996, played in the 2002 World Cup final, and in total, scored 9 goals in 72 matches for the national team.
