Exclusive interview: World Cup winner Benedikt Höwedes on the art of defending and a possible future at Schalke

Gegenpressing sat down with 2014 World Cup winner Benedikt Höwedes to discuss the art of defending, Germany's ambitions at the 2026 World Cup and a possible return to his former club Schalke.

Benedikt Höwedes belongs to an elite group of German footballers. The 36-year-old was a big part of the Germany side that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The former center-back retired from professional football in 2018 and, after stints with the German Football Federation, now works as an ambassador for the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), the governing body of the Bundesliga.

“I don’t want to be a head coach,” Höwedes said in an exclusive interview with Gegenpressing when asked what comes next. “I can also rule out becoming an agent. Maybe management. The truth is I haven’t exactly decided yet what I want to do in the future. Soccer has given me so much, and I would like to give back; it just doesn’t fit my current situation. But it is something I would be open to down the road.”