Ex-Germany keeper Hildebrand announces retirement
Former Germany international goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand has announced his retirement from the game at the age of 36.
Hildebrand's last appearance came for Eintracht Frankfurt four months ago and he has called it a day as he continues to struggle with a hip problem.
"I still love football, but I've reached an age now where it's acceptable to call it a day," he told Kicker magazine as he explained why he is no longer going to pull on the gloves professionally.
"My health is very important to me and I want still to be able to have a kickabout with my little kid in future.
"When I had a hip operation in April 2015, I was told it would take me three to four months to recover.
"It kept getting longer and longer and the complaints never disappeared completely, so that is when I decided I should call it a day.
"That was my first operation and I'm glad it came at the end of my career."
Frankfurt was the final station in a career which started in Stuttgart, where Hildebrand won the Bundesliga in 2007, and included spells with Valencia, Hoffenheim, Sporting Lisbon and Schalke.
At the time of his move to Valencia, he was vying with Jens Lehmann to become Germany's number one goalkeeper, but things did not work out for him in Spain and he did not add to his seven caps for his country.
He returned to Germany to sign for Hoffenheim, passing on an opportunity he says he regrets to this day - turning down Borussia Dortmund.
"Maybe that was the worst decision I made," he said. "But I just wanted to come back to my home [region]."
Hildebrand made a total of 301 appearances in the Bundesliga and continues to hold the record for the number of minutes without conceding, going 885 unbeaten in 2003-04.
