ZURICH (AP) — After a decade as Switzerland’s No. 1 goalkeeper, Yann Sommer retired from the national team on Monday at age 35 to focus on playing for Inter Milan.
Sommer’s decision announced by the Swiss soccer federation will likely see Gregor Kobel of Borussia Dortmund step up as the first-choice ’keeper.
Sommer went to three World Cups and three European Championships with Switzerland after making his debut in 2012.
The last of his 94 games was a penalty shootout loss to England after a 1-1 draw in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals last month in Germany.
Sommer’s finest moment for the national team was saving Kylian Mbappé’s penalty to seal a shootout win against France after a 3-3 draw in the round of 16 at Euro 2020.
Sommer helped Inter win Serie A in his first season in Italy, and also won league titles in Germany with Bayern Munich and four times in Switzerland with Basel.
The 26-year-old Kobel has played five times for Switzerland including once at the 2022 World Cup, a 3-2 win over Serbia in Qatar, when Sommer was sidelined by a heavy cold.
Switzerland next plays on Sept. 5 and 8, against Denmark and Euro 2024 champion Spain in a top-tier group of the UEFA Nations League.
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