Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer has announced that he'll be taking a break from international football. He will miss Austria's upcoming UEFA Nations League games.
The 32-year-old has apparently made the decision to manage workload and will reassess his future ahead of the start of Euro 2028 qualifiers in March 2027.
Sabitzer has been an integral part of Austria's international setup over the years and recently played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup too, their first appearance in the tournament since 1998.
In a statement released by the OFB, the player revealed that he doesn't intend to retire anytime soon but due to growing age, is cautious against burning himself out.
"The past two years have been very intense. Since Euro 2024, I've effectively played three seasons because of the Club World Cup and the World Cup. "
He further added that with another long and daunting club season ahead of him, Sabizter wants to dedicate energy carefully.
"This season is also packed, with the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League. I'm 32 years old, I still want to play football at the highest level for several more years and I have to manage my energy carefully."
Sabitzer also revealed that he's conveyed his decision with Austria's coach Ralf Rangnick as him and OFB will resume discussions on his future at the start of next year.
"I therefore agreed with the coach, in open and trusting discussions, that I would take a break now and that we will discuss at the beginning of next year whether I will return to the national team for the Euro qualifiers."
Austria, like the rest of Europe, are set to begin qualification for Euro 2028 in March, but have to negotiate with a few UEFA Nations League games for now.
Das Team are set to play Israel, Kosovo, Ireland and Kosovo again, in the upcoming, extended international window but will be without Sabitzer for the games.
The midfielder is their fourth all-time appearance maker with 102 caps and has scored 27 goals; only six players in Austria's history have bagged more.
His tally includes one goal at the recent World Cup too, as Sabitzer was on target against Algeria in a pulsating 3-3 draw that helped them qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.
Rangnick also added that while he isn't pleased to go through with the Nations League fixtures without him, he still considers the Austrian veteran an important figure in the national team.
"We will make a joint decision in good time before the start of the Euro 2028 qualifying matches about how to proceed. In any case, I'm pleased that Marcel will basically be available again if we need him. That shows me how important the national team still is to him."
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