Emotional Löw bids farewell after 15 years as Germany boss

Joachim Löw has bid farewell to the German national team after 15 years at the helm, discussing his disappointment following a 2-0 last 16 exit at the hands of England.

The 2014 World Cup winning manager followed his first trophy with a semi-final at Euro 2016, before early exits at both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, today finally relinquishing the position he took over in 2006.

The 61-year-old spoke of his disappointment over yesterday’s exit, whilst wishing luck to his successor, and former assistant manager, Hansi Flick.

"The disappointment runs very, very deep,” Löw said. “I'm sorry that we disappointed our fans and didn't spark the kind of excitement we wanted. I take responsibility for our elimination, no ifs or buts.

"It's been 15 long years with a lot of wonderful moments and, of course, some disappointments. The team and the players have a bright future ahead of them. Good luck to Hansi Flick, I wish him all the best. My heart continues to beat black, red and gold."

The former Stuttgart manager has already been linked with the vacant Netherlands job, but distanced himself from any immediate moves whilst taking a nostalgic look back at his tenure.

"I've saved so many moments and images in my heart over the years,”  Löw said. “Not just the results, but the time spent together. We went through so much together, those are the moments you never forget.

"For me personally, what remains is the path that I took with the people around me. I had a team that I worked with for many years. There were conflicts, but the overall level of trust was incredible - the same goes for the players"

"They always trusted me, supported me, motivated me when I was down, celebrated with me after a big win. These things will remain. I'm incredibly grateful for all of it. These are the things that make you love being a coach.

“Now after 15 years in the public eye I’m happy I can pull back a bit. I can reflect on all the ups and downs. So many tournaments, quali games. For me personally the highlight was the relationship with the players and staff. Friendships developed and the trust shown was great.”