July 08, (THEWILL) – At the age of 30, professional football player and former Arsenal midfielder, Jack Wilshere, has announced his retirement from football.
The midfielder, who made his debut in 2010 at the age of 18, went on to win 34 caps for his country. However, after winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award at the conclusion of the 2010/2011 campaign, Wilshere missed the whole 2011/2012 English Premier League campaign, which marked the start of a protracted injury-plagued period that dented his chances to excel.
Wilshere, a lifelong supporter of West Ham, joined the east London team in 2018 after stints at Bournemouth. He last played for the Danish club AGF, which declared this week that they will not be renewing Wilshere’s contract after he made 14 appearances for the Superliga team. He, in turn, decided to hang his boots.
Taking to social media, Wilshere revealed: “Today, I am announcing my retirement from playing professional football. It has been an unbelievable journey filled with so many incredible moments and I feel privileged to have experienced all that I did during my career. From being the little boy kicking a ball around in the garden to captaining my beloved Arsenal and playing for my country at a World Cup. I have lived my dream.”
He expressed feeling disappointed about having to end his career prematurely: “In truth, it has been difficult to accept that my career has been slipping away in recent times due to reasons outside of my control, whilst feeling that I have still had so much to give. I have enjoyed every moment of my career and it has been the journey of a lifetime. Now is the right time to close this chapter, but I still have so much to give to the game and I am excited about what the future holds.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
