Stuttgart secure promotion back to the Bundesliga.
Sunday 28 June 2020 22:24, UK
Former Germany striker Mario Gomez retired from football after scoring in his last game for Stuttgart.
Gomez, who turns 35 in July, joked that he was in negotiations with Real Madrid and Barcelona before saying he had fulfilled his final wish. That was to help Stuttgart secure an immediate return to the Bundesliga after one season in the second division.
Stuttgart gained promotion back to the German top flight after finishing as runners-up to already-promoted Arminia Bielefeld, despite a 3-1 loss at home to Darmstadt on the final day of the league campaign.
Gomez won the Bundesliga title during his first spell at Stuttgart in 2007 before winning another two league titles at Bayern Munich after moving to the German giants in 2009.
The striker was also a key figure in Bayern's treble-winning season in 2013 which included a Champions League triumph - a competition which Gomez scored 26 goals in 44 appearances.
Gomez missed Germany's World Cup win in 2014 due to an injury-blighted season. He scored 31 goals in 78 appearances for the national team.
Gomez spent two seasons at Fiorentina in Serie A before spells at Besiktas and Wolfsburg respectively.
In 2017, he made a return to Stuttgart and after suffering relegation last season, he made it clear that he wished to help them return to the Bundesliga before he would decide to end his playing career.
Gomez said: "I'm very grateful for the time I had at Stuttgart. It was always my biggest dream to give something back and to end my career, that I couldn't have imagined, here.
