Ramelow retires from Germany duty
Bayer Leverkusen's no-nonsense midfielder Carsten Ramelow has told German coach Rudi Voller that he will not be available for his Euro 2004 squad.
The 30-year-old defensive specialist informed Voller of his decision to retire from the international scene earlier in May, but the news was only made public on Wednesday.
Ramelow, who had a poor match as a makeshift centre half during Germany's recent 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Romania, said that his injury-plagued season was the reason for his decision plus the fact that he wanted to 'give some younger players a chance with a view to the 2006 World Cup'.
He added that he had told Voller he would be prepared to travel to Portugal 'in an absolute emergency', should any of his first-choice midfielders pull out of the side.
Ramelow played in both the Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, winning a total of 46 caps along the way.
