ANKARA

German defender Benedikt Howedes retired from football at 32 due to family reasons, German weekly Der Spiegel confirmed on Friday.

"I've simply noticed how it fills me with joy spending time with my son. Football suddenly became so unimportant to me," Howedes told Spiegel.

The 32-year-old scored two goals in 44 games for Germany. He also helped his nation win the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The defender made appearances for Germany's Schalke 04, Italian side Juventus and Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow.

Howedes, who recently played for Lokomotiv Moscow, had bid farewell to the club with mutual agreement last month.