win against Stoke City on 5 March. At the end of the season West Ham were relegated to the Football League Championship and Hitzlsperger's contract was terminated. Wolfsburg On 17 August 2011, Hitzlsperger signed for Bundesliga club Wolfsburg on a three-year deal, after being released by West Ham three months earlier. His contract was terminated at the end of the season. He played for Stuttgart and Wolfsburg 131 matches in the Bundesliga and scored 20 goals in the German top flight. Everton On 19 October 2012, Hitzlsperger joined Premier League club Everton, after a spell on trial with the club, on a short-term contract until January 2013. He made his debut for the Toffees coming on as an 86th-minute substitute for Nikica Jelavić in a 2–1 victory against Sunderland at Goodison Park. He made his first Everton start away to Reading on 17 November. On 11 January 2013 he signed an extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until the end of the season. At the end of the season, he was released along with Ján Mucha. In September 2013, aged 31, Hitzlsperger announced his retirement from football citing the strain of "many transfers and some injuries". Although he had received offers to resume his playing career, he reported, "I've noticed: I need something else." International career Hitzlsperger captained the Germany under-19 team, and also appeared for the national under-21 side. He was then called up to the senior side by Jürgen Klinsmann and made his debut in a 2–0 win against Iran in Tehran on 9 October 2004, replacing Bernd Schneider in the 68th minute. He appeared at the 2005 Confederations Cup and also at the 2006 World Cup, where he failed to make it into Klinsmann's starting eleven, playing just 11 minutes in the third-place play-off against Portugal. He scored his first international goals on 6 September 2006 in a European Championship qualifying game against San Marino. Hitzlsperger came on as a second-half substitute to score Germany's 9th and 11th goals in a record 13–0 win. Germany's coach Joachim Löw included Hitzlsperger in his squad for the 2008 Euros, but did not start him in any of the three group games. Hitzlsperger came on as a second-half substitute in the victories over Poland and Austria, but did not feature at all in the surprise defeat to Croatia. In the knockout stages however, he started in all