It had been known for a long time, but it has officially become a fact. Lukas Kampa has ended his national team career, and the German association thanked him in an Instagram post for 19 years of playing for Germany. As the team moves forward without its long-serving leader, fans can remain closely connected to the sport and its future developments. They may check the latest volleyball odds for upcoming matches and tournaments to stay engaged with the sport, even as they say goodbye to one of its most iconic figures.
It has been known for a long time that Lukas Kampa would say goodbye to the German national team after the Olympic Games in Paris. His last match in the national team jersey was the quarterfinals of the Olympic competition, in which Michał Winiarski’s team lost 2:3 to the eventual Olympic champions – the French – after a dramatic match.
– This was my last tournament with the national team. I made this decision a year ago, or maybe even earlier. I feel that this is a good time to end my adventure with the national team. After the last match in Paris, I told the boys that now it was their time and I would be rooting for them hard – said the experienced German playmaker right after returning to Gdańsk.
A Touching Farewell
In recent hours, Kampa officially parted ways with the national team, and on the German federation’s social media, he was bid farewell in a moving manner. – Thank you, Captain. Over 15 years of directing the game of our national team. We bow to this career! Congratulations! Thank you for everything, Lukas – they wrote on Instagram.
Let us recall that Lukas Kampa played for the German national team for 19 years. With him in the squad, our western neighbors won the bronze medal at the World Championships held in Poland in 2014 and reached the final of the European Championships in 2017. Although the 37-year-old playmaker has ended his national team career, he is still an important link in Trefl Gdańsk, where he has been playing since 2021.
Time To Say Goodbye. Three-Time European Championship Medalist Ended Her Representative Career
A long-time libero for the Dutch national team, Kirsten Knip has decided to end her national team career. She has played 302 matches for the orange team, winning 3 European Championship medals.
302 Matches In The National Team
Kirsten Knip began her career in the Dutch national team at the end of May 2012 in a friendly match against France. In 2013, she was part of the orange team that took part in the European Championship in Germany. Two years later, in 2015, she won silver at the European Championship in her home country. She repeated this result two years later at the Old Continent Championship in Azerbaijan.
She was also part of the orange squad at the European Championships in 2019, 2021 and 2023, winning bronze with her teammates in the latter. She also took part in the 2014 World Championships (Italy) and 2018 (Japan). However, she missed out on the 2022 World Championships, co-hosted by Poland and the Netherlands, which was a big blow for her. She also missed out on the Olympic Games in Paris. She played a total of 302 matches for the Dutch national team.
A New Stage
The experienced libero decided to end her international career, as she announced on her social media. – On June 8, 2012, I made my debut for the Dutch national team. It was a dream of mine that I had since childhood, and it came true at the age of 19. The fact that 12 years later I can say I have played over 300 international matches is something I am very proud of.
In professional sport there are high peaks and deep valleys. Although I had to take a few knocks here and there, I will look back on my time in the orange team with a sense of great gratitude. I have experienced so many beautiful things, met wonderful people, won great awards and seen wonderful places around the world. No one will ever take that away from me, wrote Kirsten Knip.
