Berlin - Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker on Friday became the third member of Germany's World Cup-winning team to announce his international retirement, claiming he wants to focus on winning the Champions League.
"I wanted to be the one who decided when to close this chapter in my career," Mertesacker told Suddeutsche Zeitung in an interview to be published on Saturday.
"The World Cup (where Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final) was a golden conclusion to the best eight weeks of our lives."
He added: "Now I want to win the Premier League with Arsenal and also try and win the Champions League."