German midfielder Andre Schurrle has announced his retirement aged 29, barely six years after he set up the World Cup winning goal to help his country win in 2014.
The former Chelsea star has admitted to struggling with the game of football which he described as a place
"where vulnerability and weakness must never exist."
He called an end to his career as he admitted that he personally struggled as a player as it began to take its toll on him.
In an exclusive chat with German outlet Spiegel, the player stated that the "depths became deeper and the highlights less and less."
Although Schurrle had a very short spell in the game before he called it quits, the player boasts of successes having featured for some of the biggest clubs in Europe Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.
In 2014 during the Fifa World Cup in Brazil, he was the player who provided the sublime assist to Mario Gotze in which an extra-time goal crowned Germany global champions.
"The decision has matured in me for a long time," said Schurrle.
"Only performance on the field counts, in which vulnerability and weakness must never exist' he added, hinting of the strains that life in the spotlight can bring to an individual who is constantly expected to perform."
He was part of the Chelsea team that won the English Premier League during the 2014/2015 season.
During his spell at German club Wolfsburg, he won the DFB-Pokal during the 2014/2015 season as well as the DFL-Supercup in 2015.
He had club career appearances in 373 matches scoring 86 goals and then he scored 22 goals for the German national team in 57 appearances.
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