Usually before an international tournament, there is a spate of retirements and Euro 2008 is proving to be no exception.

Jan Koller, the veteran Czech Republic striker has announced that he will no longer be available for international football after the European Championships. The 35 year is the country’s record goalscorer having scored 52 times in 85 appearances for both the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia.

Currently playing his club football for German club FC Nuremburg, Koller made is international debut in 1999 and his height and physical presence ensured that he quickly became an important member of the squad.

Koller has enjoyed a memorable playing career at club level. Having started at Sparta Prague, he moved to Anderlecht in Belgium, where he won two domestic league titles. In 2001 he moved to Borussia Dortmund and proved to be instantly successful, scoring 11 goals and helping them win the Bundesliga in 2002 for the first time in six years.