VIENNA – Austria captain Christian Fuchs is retiring from the national team, a week after Austria was eliminated from the European Championship.
In a video posted on his Facebook page Wednesday, the Leicester defender said the 2-1 loss to Iceland "was my last match in red-white-red."
“Looking back I have to say I am very proud of the 10 years I played for the team,” said Fuchs, who was named captain by coach Marcel Koller four years ago.
Having made his debut in May 2006, the 30-year-old Fuchs earned 78 caps and scored once – in a 2010 friendly against Greece.
Koller said Fuch’s retirement was “a pity” and he praised the defender “for his exemplary commitment as captain.”
After its near-perfect qualifying route with 28 from a possible 30 points, Austria was regarded as a dark horse at Euro 2016. However, it gathered just one point in the group stage after a 2-0 loss to Hungary and 0-0 draw with Portugal.
“The finals tournament wasn’t satisfying, we all know that,” Fuchs said. “Still, the adventure in France was very special for me.”
Fuchs played for Bochum, Mainz and Schalke before joining Leicester a year ago and helping the club win its unlikely Premier League title last season.
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
