Germany manager Joachim Low will quit after this summer’s European Championship finals following a 15-year spell in charge.
Low, who has held the position as Germany boss since 2006 and won the World Cup in 2014, has been under intense scrutiny in recent times following some disastrous results and reports of a rift with his players.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is the early favourite to succeed Low, although German newspaper Bild report that Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick is the leading candidate for the job.
Germany were humiliated in a 6-0 defeat by Spain last November – their heaviest defeat in almost 90 years – while Low was heavily criticised by some of his squad for axing experienced stars Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng following their abysmal 2018 World Cup campaign.
The Leipzig boss believes that both Klopp and Liverpool are “extremely happy” working together at the moment.
The World Cup-winning trio were all told by Low back in March 2019 that they would no longer be part of his plans, which left them and senior Germany players like Toni Kroos baffled.
However, Low admitted over the weekend that he is considering making a U-turn and recalling Muller and Hummels to his squad ahead of the Euros.
Despite his recent struggles and Germany’s woeful performance at the last major tournament, where they failed to get out of the group stage at the World Cup in Russia and were beaten by Mexico and South Korea, Low insists he can look back on his time in charge with immense pride.
After the announcement on Tuesday, Low said: “I’m taking this step very consciously, full of pride and enormous gratitude, but at the same time will continue to be very motivated when it comes to the upcoming European Championships.
“I’m proud, because it’s something very special and an honor for me to be involved in my country. And because I have been able to work with the best footballers in the country for almost 17 years and support them in their development.
“I have great triumphs with them and painful defeats, but above all many wonderful and magical moments – not just winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. I am and will remain grateful to the DFB, which has always provided me and the team with an ideal work environment.”
Under the 61-year-old, Germany have routinely reached the latter part of major international tournaments – aside from Russia in 2018 – and famously lifted the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
Low, who took over the job from Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006, has also led Germany to a third-place finish at the 2010 World Cup as well as two European Championship semi-finals and one final in 2008, where they suffered an agonising 1-0 defeat against Spain.
As well as delivering Germany’s fourth World Cup success seven years ago, Low also won the Confederations Cup in 2017.
His contract with the Germany national team ran until 2022 but Low has decided to cut it short to leave this summer.