Bundesliga veteran and Germany international Philipp Max (32) retires from football | OneFootball

Former Germany international Philipp Max has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing an end to a career that included 180 Bundesliga appearances, spells in the Netherlands, Greece and Japan, and three senior caps for his country. Max confirmed the decision in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday. The former Schalke, Augsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt defender had been without a club since leaving Japanese side Gamba Osaka earlier this year.

“A chapter is coming to an end,” Max wrote. “I’m obviously sad that you leave behind something you lived for and worked towards your entire life. I came to the conclusion relatively quickly that the best thing is to hang up my boots now.”

Philipp Max was once a Bundesliga regular

Max made his Bundesliga debut with Schalke during the 2013/14 campaign before eventually establishing himself at Augsburg. It was in Bavaria that the left-back became a recognizable Bundesliga figure. Max made 145 top-flight appearances for FCA and developed a reputation as an unusually attack-minded defender, capable of advancing aggressively down the flank and contributing through crosses, set pieces and direct involvement in the final third.

His importance to Augsburg became particularly obvious when he departed for PSV Eindhoven in 2020. Max had developed into such an important part of the club’s attacking structure that his exit represented a major tactical loss ahead of the new Bundesliga campaign. The move abroad also coincided with the high point of his international career.

Max earned his first Germany cap in November 2020 and immediately contributed an assist in a 1-0 friendly victory over the Czech Republic. Joachim Löw deployed him as an advanced wing-back, a role that suited the attacking qualities he had demonstrated throughout his Bundesliga career. He ultimately collected three senior international appearances in 2020.

PSV spell precedes Bundesliga return with Frankfurt

Max remained with PSV for more than two seasons and accumulated 106 Eredivisie appearances. The Eindhoven club finished runners-up in the Dutch top flight three times during his spell, while Max continued to operate as an adventurous option on the left side. A Bundesliga return followed in January 2023 when Eintracht Frankfurt brought him back to Germany.

Max integrated rapidly into Oliver Glasner’s squad. His experience in German football helped ease the transition, while his previous time alongside Mario Götze at PSV provided another familiar connection within the Frankfurt dressing room. Glasner initially viewed Max as a potential long-term solution at left wing-back, and early performances justified that optimism.

The veteran increasingly looked comfortable as part of Frankfurt’s wing-back system, supplying energy in wide areas and taking responsibility for corners, free-kicks and crosses from the left. His attacking work remained evident in later campaigns as well. Max continued to create chances through deliveries from deeper and wider positions and remained capable of altering matches when introduced from the bench.

The competition for minutes nevertheless became significantly tougher under Dino Toppmöller. Niels Nkounkou increasingly challenged Max for the left-sided role, while Frankfurt experimented with different back-three and back-four structures.

Ansgar Knauff, Aurelio Buta and other options also contributed to increasingly fluid selection decisions. By the latter stages of his Frankfurt spell, Max was no longer guaranteed a starting position. Some matches still demonstrated his ability to improve Frankfurt’s attacking play, but his role had become increasingly rotational.

Final adventures in Greece and Japan

Max left the Bundesliga in the summer of 2024 and continued his career with Panathinaikos. He made nine Greek league appearances and also featured twice in the UEFA Conference League before another move abroad followed this year. Gamba Osaka announced Max’s signing in March, but the Japanese chapter proved short-lived. The contract was terminated only seven weeks later, with the club citing his physical condition.

Max subsequently remained without a club. His retirement therefore closes a professional career that took him from Schalke to Augsburg, PSV, Frankfurt, Athens and Osaka. Across 180 Bundesliga appearances, Max evolved from a young Schalke prospect into one of Augsburg’s most important players, became a Germany international and later returned home as an experienced European campaigner with Frankfurt.

GGFN | Peter Weis