Almost all top-level professional footballers see out their lucrative playing careers for as long as possible.
Mesut Ozil will reportedly hang up his boots at the age of 34. The World Cup winner was released by Arsenal just two years ago. He’s since turned out in the Turkish Super Lig for Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir.
He remains contracted until the summer but his minutes have been limited this season. Turkish outlet Fanatik have claimed that Ozil wants to “quit football” and is set to announce his retirement imminently.
Some notable players have evidently just felt it’s not worth the effort and discipline required to remain at the top of their game and sacked it all in instead.
We’ve gone for the players here who called time on their own terms, rather than those who were forced to retire early due to injury, such as Emmanuel Petit, Brian Laudrup and Ryan Mason.
Andre Schurrle
The German retired at the age of just 29, leaving football with a World Cup – assisting Mario Gotze’s match-winner in the final – Premier League, two DFB-Pokals, and a Premier League goal of the month award to his name.
So why quit at such a young age? For Schurrle, it was all about self-care, admitting that he did not want to contend with the loneliness and endless competition that comes with top-flight football.
“The decision has matured in me for a long time,” he said in an interview with Der Spiegel when talking of his decision.
“The depths were getting deeper and the highlights less and less. You always have to play a certain role in order to survive in the business, otherwise you will lose your job and won’t get a new one.”
🏆 You will always be a #WorldCup winner, @Andre_Schuerrle 🇩🇪
😉 Not many people can say they gave the assist for a World Cup-winning goal
👏 All the best with everything post-retirement pic.twitter.com/ahrAMicHvM
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 17, 2020
Eric Cantona
The Manchester United legend hung up his boots in 1997 at the age of just 31. For him, it was born from a desire to live the life that most people get to during their 20s.
“When you quit football it is not easy, your life becomes difficult,” he told The Independent at the Premier League’s 10th-anniversary awards in 2003.
“I should know because sometimes I feel I quit too young. I loved the game but I no longer had the passion to go to bed early, not to go out with my friends, not to drink, and not to do a lot of other things, the…
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