2013’s Retirees
At the end of every season, fans of every football club wave goodbye to a number of players who depart their clubs for various reasons.
A few of these players departing their clubs will move on to other teams, but for others this could be their final goodbye before heading into a well-deserved retirement. At the end of the 2012-13 football season we look set to bid a fond farewell to a number of notable figures who will no longer be permanent fixtures in our football conscious.
A few of these players departing their clubs will move on to other teams, but for others this could be their final goodbye before heading into a well-deserved retirement. At the end of the 2012-13 football season we look set to bid a fond farewell to a number of notable figures who will no longer be permanent fixtures in our football conscious.
Sir Alex Ferguson
Very few managers get to choose when they depart from a club, but then again, very few managers are anything like Sir Alex Ferguson. On 8th May 2013, Ferguson announced that he was to retire as a manager at the end of the season, giving his last few weeks as Manchester United manager an ‘end of an era’ feel after all he has achieved with the Red Devils.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest leading figures of all-time, Ferguson bowed out having brought the club 38 trophies in 26 years – including 13 Premier League titles and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues.
He stepped away from the game as a winner having regained the Premier League title from “noisy neighbours” Manchester City and will permanently be honoured at Old Trafford even after his departure thanks to a statue that has been erected of him outside the club’s home ground.
Paul Scholes
One of Ferguson’s key players throughout his reign as Manchester United manager, Paul Scholes could be looked towards by youngsters as a model professional. Notoriously reserved off the pitch and commonly shying away from the spotlight despite his status as one of the most gifted players of his generation, Scholes let his football do the talking from the moment he made his Manchester United debut in 1994-5.
He remained at Old Trafford throughout his entire career, and although the midfielder initially decided to hang up his boots in 2011, he was coaxed out of retirement for two more seasons with the Red Devils. Considered by many to be the finest England player of the past two decades, Scholes played a key part in Manchester United’s treble winning success of 1998-99, and whilst under Ferguson he won 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cup winners’ medals and won the UEFA Champions League twice.
Scholes represented his country with pride between 1997 and 2004, participating in four major international competitions and amassing 66 caps for the Three Lions. Often playing in a role just behind the strikers, Scholes is admired for his passing and long range shooting and was still a consistent performer well into the advanced stage of his career. Despite many believing that he could still make an impact, Scholes made the decision to retire from the game a second time at the age of 38.
Michael Owen
At the tender age of 33, the former England striker decided to hang up his boots after a never-ending struggle battle with injuries. Owen rose to prominence as a teen prodigy scoring on his Liverpool debut and finishing as joint top scorer in the Premiership during his first full season. He made a breakthrough on the international stage during World Cup France ’98 by scoring against Romania in the Group stages before going on to net a wonder goal against Argentina in the second round.
Owen scored at a tremendous rate on Merseyside before eventually earning a move to Real Madrid in 2004 when his contract at Anfield expired. Sadly for the talented forward he was frequently used as a substitute in Spain as part of a talented set-up at the Santiago Bernabeu before he eventually decided to return to England in search of regular football. Newcastle United brought Owen back to the Premiership, but during an oft-injured spell on Tyneside many questioned whether he could return to the form that had seen him score 40 goals internationally in just 89 caps.
In 2009 Owen made a move to Manchester United before eventually finishing his career at Stoke City where he was persistently trouble by injuries. Despite flaming out towards the tail end of his career, Owen is the 10th most capped player in Three Lions history, and is the only England player to have scored in four major tournaments.
Jamie Carragher
In the modern era of football there are so few players who remain at a single club throughout their professional life that they deserve recognition and adulation for representing a solitary club throughout their career. A true one-club man Carragher finished his career as Liverpool’s second longest ever serving player having made 737 appearances for the reds in all competitions.
He holds the record for the most appearances in European competition for Liverpool with 150 in total, an incredible journey that began when he made his debut in 1996 becoming a regular during the following season. Having initially been considered a full-back, Carragher made the switch to central defence under Rafael Benitez and flourished as part of a talented team. As a Liverpool player he won two FA Cups, three league cups, one UEFA Cup and also played as Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005.
Carragher represented England on 38 occasions consistently used in tournament football as a late substitute due to his experience, and despite deciding to retire initially from international football in 2007, he returned to play a part in the 2010 World Cup squad as Sven Goran-Eriksson’s men were eliminated at the quarter final stage.
In his final years at Anfield, Carragher was far from a regular but despite his advancing years team mates, managers and players knew always that they would get consistency and commitment from the defender at the very least.
Stiliyan Petrov
One of the club’s most beloved players, Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov missed much of his final season a professional due to an ongoing battle against Leukaemia. It was his continuing fight against the disease that prompted his decision to step away from the game as well as his advancing years. The former CSKA Midfielder signed for Celtic in 1999 where he became a fan favourite at Parkhead before moving a move to Aston Villa.
Over a period of seven years in Birmingham he made 218 appearances for the Premier League club and was made Villa captain in 2010. Sadly the Bulgarian midfielder was diagnosed with Leukaemia in March 2012 but was such a favourite at Villa that at each home game during his absence in the nineteenth minute of the game a picture of him was shown on the big screen followed by a minute’s rapturous applause.
Currently in remission from his acute condition Petrov announced his retirement from the game in 2013 but intends to become a part of the Villa coaching staff when he returns to full health.
David Beckham
Whether you consider him to be an icon on the pitch, off it, or both, there is no doubting that David Beckham is a role model for budding youngsters everywhere as he rose from teen prodigy at fourteen to global star winning the treble for Manchester United and being named captain of his country.
His career came to an emotional end at Paris St Germain where he spent the last six months before retirement helping the Parisian side win their first title in almost twenty years. Beckham was not part of PSG’s final game of the season, but during their final home game he was able to bid football a tearful farewell after being substituted in the 89th minute before receiving rapturous applause.
When looking back at Beckham’s career it is important to note not only what achieved but what he represents through his evolution as a footballer and as a person.
Beckham signed for Manchester United as a fourteen year-old school boy and eventually made his debut for the Red Devils in 1995 after a short loan spell with Preston North End. He announced himself on the big stage with a strike from the half way line against Wimbledon in 1996 and from then he became an instrumental figure in the clubs successes over the next eight years.
His departure from Old Trafford was a touch acrimonious, but when the club showed a willingness to sell, there was no shortage of suitors for his signature. Beckham eventually chose a move to Real Madrid, and became a Galactico alongside Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. He immediately settled in at the Bernabeu scoring within three minutes of his La Liga debut, and despite losing his place under Fabio Capello in 2006-07 he eventually regained his starting spot, and claimed the La Liga title in the same season.
Beckham then made the decision to move to the MLS and sign for the LA Galaxy whom he captained to the MLS Cup final in 2009, 2011 and 2012 winning in both his final two seasons in the US. During his stay in Los Angeles he made a short loan move to AC Milan before finishing with a last tango in Paris. During his career Beckham also earned 115 caps for his country, becoming the nation’s most capped outfield player and captaining his country at major international tournaments in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
Phil Neville
Whilst his brother made a decision to retire from football in 2011, the younger Neville decided to prolong his career at Everton going on to play over 200 games for the Toffees in eight years at the club.
Neville started his career with Manchester United where he won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League developing into a fantastic utility player able to deputise at either full back position or in central midfield. Aiming to become a fully established player for club and country, Neville moved across the North West to sign for Everton for a fee of around £3.5m, and following the departure of David Weir in 2007 Neville was made the club captain at Goodison Park. Under David Moyes he was a consistent player for Everton, and his experience was vital as they made the FA Cup Final in 2009 and also finished fifth in the same domestic season.
With talented players coming through the ranks and midfield berths being filled by Leon Osman and Marouane Fellaini, Neville decided to call time on his career at the age of 36.
Before retiring Neville represented England on 59 occasions often used as a substitute due to his versatility. He represented the Three Lions at Euro 2000 and also Euro 2004 before deciding to retire to concentrate on his club career in 2007.
Benni McCarthy
Former Porto striker Benni McCarthy, who had spells in England with West Ham and Blackburn, decided to call it a day at the end of the season having earned 79 caps for his country and spent the last 18 years playing professionally. McCarthy featured prominently for the likes of Ajax and Celta Vigo and was fortunate enough to play in some of Europe’s biggest leagues during his career. Scoring goals on a consistent basis in domestic football he was also given the opportunity to represent South Africa in two World Cup finals.
His finest season was under Jose Mourinho in 2003-4 when he won a UEFA Champions League winners medal with Porto, but McCarthy had long been recognised as one of the best strikers playing in Europe despite winning only a few major honours in his career.
Twenty goals in eight months at Ajax were enough to convince Celta Vigo to sign him in 1999, but it was after a short loan spell to Porto, in which he scored twelve goals in eleven games, that his name began to become sought after by Europe’s biggest clubs. Three seasons at Porto saw him score at a rate of almost one goal every two games, before the Premier League came calling. He signed for Blackburn Rovers in 2006 and stayed for four years before moving to West Ham in 2010-11. Failing to find the net in just eleven games with the Hammers he was signed by the Orlando Pirates in his native South African, and he immediately had a huge impact helping the team win a second successive treble before making a decision to retire in June 2013.
Mark Halsey
Premier League officials very seldom receive much recognition for their place among the world’s most entertaining league, but retiring referee Mark Halsey is one of the few who earned the respect of players whose games he presided over. His first officiating duties in the English top flight were in 1999 when he referred a game between Wimbledon and Coventry City, and from there he became a household name and one of England’s Select Group Referees.
Halsey took charge of the Community Shield in 2007 before being selected to officiate the League Cup Final a year later between Tottenham and Chelsea.
In 2009 Halsey announced that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in his throat. Many feared that would be the end of his career but he fought the odds and came back to the game in March 2010 before returning to the Premier League slate in August 2010 to referee a game between Wigan and Blackpool.
The referee announced at he was to retire from officiating at the end of the 2012-13 season and refereed his final Premier League fixture on the last day of the season between Manchester City and Norwich. Rather unusually he was given a standing ovation by the fans of both teams.
Clarke Carlisle
Joining Blackpool in 1997 current Kick-It Out Ambassador Clarke Carlisle decided to end his professional career when his contract with Northampton expired at the end of the season. Having played for nine different professional clubs, Carlisle was selected as the ideal candidate to be the Chairman of the Management Committee of the PFA following his retirement with the association hoping that his experience can be benefited from.
The prime of his career was spent with Burnley, and he helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League in 2008-09 being named man of the match in the playoff final against Sheffield United. Later in his career he played spells at Preston North End and York City before eventually finishing his playing days at Northampton.
Carlisle may not be the most talented player in this list, but he is more than likely the most intelligent having gained 10 A-Grades at GCSE and in 2002 being titled Britain’s brainiest footballer after winning two consecutive shows on Countdown.
Mido
Much travelled striker Mido began his professional career with Zamalek in his native Egypt before moving to Gent in Belgium. Possessing an impressive scoring record he was then signed by Ajax in 2001 and he remained in Holland for two years before a series of fallings out ended his spell in the Eredivisie. The fiery Egyptian striker failed to see eye-to-eye with then coach Ronald Koeman and fellow strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic which led to him initially being loaned out to Celta Vigo before eventually being sold to Marseille.
A spell in France came to an end after one season by which time he was onto his sixth club in six countries with Roma in Serie A agreeing to sign him for a fee of 6m Euros. A lack of playing time saw Mido loaned out to Tottenham Hotspur where he scored 13 goals during the 2005-06 season and was sign signed permanently by the North London Club. A less productive following season saw Mido leave to join Middlesbrough, but rarely being fit for the club and demonstrating a poor attitude he spent four loans spells at different clubs in two seasons.
Eventually in 2010 Middlesbrough sold the Egyptian back to his former club Zamalek where many presumed he would finish his career. In 2012 however he returned to England after signing with Championship club Barnsley, but his spell in Yorkshire lasted shorter than most of his brief stints with clubs as he played only a single game before being released by mutual consent.
Although undoubtedly talented, the Egyptian striker remains a mystery to fans of most clubs who signed him as despite possessing a good goalscoring record in most situations he found himself in, there appeared to be a lack of willingness from the player to get himself fit and demonstrate commitment to the cause of any team.
Very few managers get to choose when they depart from a club, but then again, very few managers are anything like Sir Alex Ferguson. On 8th May 2013, Ferguson announced that he was to retire as a manager at the end of the season, giving his last few weeks as Manchester United manager an ‘end of an era’ feel after all he has achieved with the Red Devils.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest leading figures of all-time, Ferguson bowed out having brought the club 38 trophies in 26 years – including 13 Premier League titles and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues.
He stepped away from the game as a winner having regained the Premier League title from “noisy neighbours” Manchester City and will permanently be honoured at Old Trafford even after his departure thanks to a statue that has been erected of him outside the club’s home ground.
Paul Scholes
One of Ferguson’s key players throughout his reign as Manchester United manager, Paul Scholes could be looked towards by youngsters as a model professional. Notoriously reserved off the pitch and commonly shying away from the spotlight despite his status as one of the most gifted players of his generation, Scholes let his football do the talking from the moment he made his Manchester United debut in 1994-5.
He remained at Old Trafford throughout his entire career, and although the midfielder initially decided to hang up his boots in 2011, he was coaxed out of retirement for two more seasons with the Red Devils. Considered by many to be the finest England player of the past two decades, Scholes played a key part in Manchester United’s treble winning success of 1998-99, and whilst under Ferguson he won 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cup winners’ medals and won the UEFA Champions League twice.
Scholes represented his country with pride between 1997 and 2004, participating in four major international competitions and amassing 66 caps for the Three Lions. Often playing in a role just behind the strikers, Scholes is admired for his passing and long range shooting and was still a consistent performer well into the advanced stage of his career. Despite many believing that he could still make an impact, Scholes made the decision to retire from the game a second time at the age of 38.
Michael Owen
At the tender age of 33, the former England striker decided to hang up his boots after a never-ending struggle battle with injuries. Owen rose to prominence as a teen prodigy scoring on his Liverpool debut and finishing as joint top scorer in the Premiership during his first full season. He made a breakthrough on the international stage during World Cup France ’98 by scoring against Romania in the Group stages before going on to net a wonder goal against Argentina in the second round.
Owen scored at a tremendous rate on Merseyside before eventually earning a move to Real Madrid in 2004 when his contract at Anfield expired. Sadly for the talented forward he was frequently used as a substitute in Spain as part of a talented set-up at the Santiago Bernabeu before he eventually decided to return to England in search of regular football. Newcastle United brought Owen back to the Premiership, but during an oft-injured spell on Tyneside many questioned whether he could return to the form that had seen him score 40 goals internationally in just 89 caps.
In 2009 Owen made a move to Manchester United before eventually finishing his career at Stoke City where he was persistently trouble by injuries. Despite flaming out towards the tail end of his career, Owen is the 10th most capped player in Three Lions history, and is the only England player to have scored in four major tournaments.
Jamie Carragher
In the modern era of football there are so few players who remain at a single club throughout their professional life that they deserve recognition and adulation for representing a solitary club throughout their career. A true one-club man Carragher finished his career as Liverpool’s second longest ever serving player having made 737 appearances for the reds in all competitions.
He holds the record for the most appearances in European competition for Liverpool with 150 in total, an incredible journey that began when he made his debut in 1996 becoming a regular during the following season. Having initially been considered a full-back, Carragher made the switch to central defence under Rafael Benitez and flourished as part of a talented team. As a Liverpool player he won two FA Cups, three league cups, one UEFA Cup and also played as Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005.
Carragher represented England on 38 occasions consistently used in tournament football as a late substitute due to his experience, and despite deciding to retire initially from international football in 2007, he returned to play a part in the 2010 World Cup squad as Sven Goran-Eriksson’s men were eliminated at the quarter final stage.
In his final years at Anfield, Carragher was far from a regular but despite his advancing years team mates, managers and players knew always that they would get consistency and commitment from the defender at the very least.
Stiliyan Petrov
One of the club’s most beloved players, Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov missed much of his final season a professional due to an ongoing battle against Leukaemia. It was his continuing fight against the disease that prompted his decision to step away from the game as well as his advancing years. The former CSKA Midfielder signed for Celtic in 1999 where he became a fan favourite at Parkhead before moving a move to Aston Villa.
Over a period of seven years in Birmingham he made 218 appearances for the Premier League club and was made Villa captain in 2010. Sadly the Bulgarian midfielder was diagnosed with Leukaemia in March 2012 but was such a favourite at Villa that at each home game during his absence in the nineteenth minute of the game a picture of him was shown on the big screen followed by a minute’s rapturous applause.
Currently in remission from his acute condition Petrov announced his retirement from the game in 2013 but intends to become a part of the Villa coaching staff when he returns to full health.
David Beckham
Whether you consider him to be an icon on the pitch, off it, or both, there is no doubting that David Beckham is a role model for budding youngsters everywhere as he rose from teen prodigy at fourteen to global star winning the treble for Manchester United and being named captain of his country.
His career came to an emotional end at Paris St Germain where he spent the last six months before retirement helping the Parisian side win their first title in almost twenty years. Beckham was not part of PSG’s final game of the season, but during their final home game he was able to bid football a tearful farewell after being substituted in the 89th minute before receiving rapturous applause.
When looking back at Beckham’s career it is important to note not only what achieved but what he represents through his evolution as a footballer and as a person.
Beckham signed for Manchester United as a fourteen year-old school boy and eventually made his debut for the Red Devils in 1995 after a short loan spell with Preston North End. He announced himself on the big stage with a strike from the half way line against Wimbledon in 1996 and from then he became an instrumental figure in the clubs successes over the next eight years.
His departure from Old Trafford was a touch acrimonious, but when the club showed a willingness to sell, there was no shortage of suitors for his signature. Beckham eventually chose a move to Real Madrid, and became a Galactico alongside Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. He immediately settled in at the Bernabeu scoring within three minutes of his La Liga debut, and despite losing his place under Fabio Capello in 2006-07 he eventually regained his starting spot, and claimed the La Liga title in the same season.
Beckham then made the decision to move to the MLS and sign for the LA Galaxy whom he captained to the MLS Cup final in 2009, 2011 and 2012 winning in both his final two seasons in the US. During his stay in Los Angeles he made a short loan move to AC Milan before finishing with a last tango in Paris. During his career Beckham also earned 115 caps for his country, becoming the nation’s most capped outfield player and captaining his country at major international tournaments in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
Phil Neville
Whilst his brother made a decision to retire from football in 2011, the younger Neville decided to prolong his career at Everton going on to play over 200 games for the Toffees in eight years at the club.
Neville started his career with Manchester United where he won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League developing into a fantastic utility player able to deputise at either full back position or in central midfield. Aiming to become a fully established player for club and country, Neville moved across the North West to sign for Everton for a fee of around £3.5m, and following the departure of David Weir in 2007 Neville was made the club captain at Goodison Park. Under David Moyes he was a consistent player for Everton, and his experience was vital as they made the FA Cup Final in 2009 and also finished fifth in the same domestic season.
With talented players coming through the ranks and midfield berths being filled by Leon Osman and Marouane Fellaini, Neville decided to call time on his career at the age of 36.
Before retiring Neville represented England on 59 occasions often used as a substitute due to his versatility. He represented the Three Lions at Euro 2000 and also Euro 2004 before deciding to retire to concentrate on his club career in 2007.
Benni McCarthy
Former Porto striker Benni McCarthy, who had spells in England with West Ham and Blackburn, decided to call it a day at the end of the season having earned 79 caps for his country and spent the last 18 years playing professionally. McCarthy featured prominently for the likes of Ajax and Celta Vigo and was fortunate enough to play in some of Europe’s biggest leagues during his career. Scoring goals on a consistent basis in domestic football he was also given the opportunity to represent South Africa in two World Cup finals.
His finest season was under Jose Mourinho in 2003-4 when he won a UEFA Champions League winners medal with Porto, but McCarthy had long been recognised as one of the best strikers playing in Europe despite winning only a few major honours in his career.
Twenty goals in eight months at Ajax were enough to convince Celta Vigo to sign him in 1999, but it was after a short loan spell to Porto, in which he scored twelve goals in eleven games, that his name began to become sought after by Europe’s biggest clubs. Three seasons at Porto saw him score at a rate of almost one goal every two games, before the Premier League came calling. He signed for Blackburn Rovers in 2006 and stayed for four years before moving to West Ham in 2010-11. Failing to find the net in just eleven games with the Hammers he was signed by the Orlando Pirates in his native South African, and he immediately had a huge impact helping the team win a second successive treble before making a decision to retire in June 2013.
Mark Halsey
Premier League officials very seldom receive much recognition for their place among the world’s most entertaining league, but retiring referee Mark Halsey is one of the few who earned the respect of players whose games he presided over. His first officiating duties in the English top flight were in 1999 when he referred a game between Wimbledon and Coventry City, and from there he became a household name and one of England’s Select Group Referees.
Halsey took charge of the Community Shield in 2007 before being selected to officiate the League Cup Final a year later between Tottenham and Chelsea.
In 2009 Halsey announced that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in his throat. Many feared that would be the end of his career but he fought the odds and came back to the game in March 2010 before returning to the Premier League slate in August 2010 to referee a game between Wigan and Blackpool.
The referee announced at he was to retire from officiating at the end of the 2012-13 season and refereed his final Premier League fixture on the last day of the season between Manchester City and Norwich. Rather unusually he was given a standing ovation by the fans of both teams.
Clarke Carlisle
Joining Blackpool in 1997 current Kick-It Out Ambassador Clarke Carlisle decided to end his professional career when his contract with Northampton expired at the end of the season. Having played for nine different professional clubs, Carlisle was selected as the ideal candidate to be the Chairman of the Management Committee of the PFA following his retirement with the association hoping that his experience can be benefited from.
The prime of his career was spent with Burnley, and he helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League in 2008-09 being named man of the match in the playoff final against Sheffield United. Later in his career he played spells at Preston North End and York City before eventually finishing his playing days at Northampton.
Carlisle may not be the most talented player in this list, but he is more than likely the most intelligent having gained 10 A-Grades at GCSE and in 2002 being titled Britain’s brainiest footballer after winning two consecutive shows on Countdown.
Mido
Much travelled striker Mido began his professional career with Zamalek in his native Egypt before moving to Gent in Belgium. Possessing an impressive scoring record he was then signed by Ajax in 2001 and he remained in Holland for two years before a series of fallings out ended his spell in the Eredivisie. The fiery Egyptian striker failed to see eye-to-eye with then coach Ronald Koeman and fellow strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic which led to him initially being loaned out to Celta Vigo before eventually being sold to Marseille.
A spell in France came to an end after one season by which time he was onto his sixth club in six countries with Roma in Serie A agreeing to sign him for a fee of 6m Euros. A lack of playing time saw Mido loaned out to Tottenham Hotspur where he scored 13 goals during the 2005-06 season and was sign signed permanently by the North London Club. A less productive following season saw Mido leave to join Middlesbrough, but rarely being fit for the club and demonstrating a poor attitude he spent four loans spells at different clubs in two seasons.
Eventually in 2010 Middlesbrough sold the Egyptian back to his former club Zamalek where many presumed he would finish his career. In 2012 however he returned to England after signing with Championship club Barnsley, but his spell in Yorkshire lasted shorter than most of his brief stints with clubs as he played only a single game before being released by mutual consent.
Although undoubtedly talented, the Egyptian striker remains a mystery to fans of most clubs who signed him as despite possessing a good goalscoring record in most situations he found himself in, there appeared to be a lack of willingness from the player to get himself fit and demonstrate commitment to the cause of any team.