Lokomotiv was terminated by mutual consent as he decided to return to Germany for family reasons. Retirement On 31 July 2020, Höwedes announced his retirement from professional football. Overall he played more than 275 top-flight matches in Germany, Italy and Russia. International career Höwedes played for the under-18 team and under-19 team and appeared in all matches up to and including the semi-final at the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. On 5 September 2007, he made his first and only under-20 team appearance, due to the fact that he was turning out for the under-21 team on a regular basis. He was a member of the squad which won the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and started in Germany's 4–0 win against England in the final. On 29 May 2011, he made his debut for the senior team in a friendly against Uruguay. On 7 June 2011, he played his first official match against Azerbaijan in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, Germany won the match 3–1, with Höwedes setting up the first goal, which was scored by Mesut Özil. Höwedes was selected for the German squad for UEFA Euro 2012 but did not make an appearance in the tournament. On 15 August 2012, he scored his first goal in a 1–3 friendly defeat at home against Argentina. After making three appearances during 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, Höwedes was named in Germany's squad for the tournament finals. He was named in the starting line-up at left back against Portugal in the team's opening match, making his tournament debut. Later on, he won the tournament, along with his team. In the 2014 World Cup final, Höwedes went close to opening the scoring by hitting the goalpost with a header after a corner kick in the last seconds of the first half. Höwedes was also one of three German players who played every minute of all seven World Cup games, alongside goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and captain Philipp Lahm. He won his last cap in March 2017. Benedikt Höwedes appeared 44 times for the DFB premium team. Managerial career In August 2021, it was announced that Höwedes will begin a trainee program containing the tasks of the Germany national football team's managerial position accompanying his UEFA master's degree. The program is scheduled to last until the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Style of play A large, versatile, reliable, and tenacious defender, Höwedes was considered a