Stuttgart: Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn announced on Saturday that he was retiring from international football after his team beat Portugal 3-1 in the World Cup match for third place on Saturday.
He told ZDF German TV: "That was my last international match. It was a beautiful time but you have to know when it's all over."
Kahn, who had 86 caps for Germany, was captain of the team that went to the World Cup final in 2002, where they lost to Brazil 2-0.
He nevertheless won the Golden Ball, an award given to the most valuable player of the 32-team tournament.
But Kahn was demoted by coach Juergen Klinsmann two years ago when he took over, first stripping him of the captaincy and giving that to midfielder Michael Ballack.
He also made Kahn compete with long-time understudy Jens Lehmann for the job.
Kahn, 37, was shocked to be relegated to the bench just before the World Cup.
He played in the match against Portugal as a gesture of thanks for his loyalty to the team after being demoted.
Kahn was captain, for the 49th time, on Saturday because Ballack was out with an injury.
He played his first match for Germany against Switzerland in Berne on June 23, 1995 -- a 2-1 victory for Germany.
The Bayern Munich captain was named the world's best goalkeeper three times and Europe's best keeper four times.
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