5 footballers who fans wish had retired later rather than sooner
As football fans we all have our favorite players in the game. These are the guys we go to war for when anyone throws dirt at them. We feel proud to wear replicas with their names printed on the back. We can copy their favorite celebration as it is and cannot miss a game featuring them.
All of this makes it very difficult for us to imagine our beloved game without our dearest players. For if it were in our hands, we'd want them to never stop playing. But aging is the nature of man. Although footballers often make it look like just another number as humanly possible for them, it takes a toll on them at some point.
We all wish the best for our favorite players and empathize with them. However, there are a few footballers who, even though did not have huge die-hard fan followings, had enough well wishers. Some of them bid adieu to the game we all love at an early age and no one saw it coming.
Over the years, fans have admitted that there were a decent bunch of footballers who they wished had stuck along for longer. Here's presenting a few selected from that bunch. Here are five footballers who the fans wish had retired later rather than sooner:
#5 Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer retired from international football and stepped down as an England player in 2000 at the age of just 30. This proved how much the game demanded at the elite level. The centre-forward revealed that he wanted to give Newcastle United the best return possible for their money in the last few years he had in him.
He clocked absolutely incredible numbers for the Magpies post his retirement. It proved how big a shame it was to not have Shearer playing in England colors. He scored 84 goals in the Premier League after Euro 2000. Given the consistency with which he scored, he could have taken his tally of 30 goals in 63 games for England way further.
🍿 "Just watch and enjoy."
Simply sensational from @alanshearer on this day in 2002!
⚫️⚪️ https://t.co/363qmYuFrI
The Englishman's last game was the Euro 2000 group stage match against Romania in which the Three Lions lost 3-2. However, Shearer did score in the match and bowed out with his name on the scoresheet. He remains the Premier League's all-time top-scorer with 263 goals to his name.
There was speculation that Shearer could indeed make a comeback from retirement to help the national side in the 2002 World Cup or 2004 Euros. But that did not happen.
#4 Patrick Kluivert
There were many admirers of Patrick Kluivert in his days. But a good chunk of those were left disappointed with how his form faded after he peaked. 31 is by no means an apt age in football to retire unless faced with a miserable injury. In fact, many have shown their true might in their 30s.
But Kluivert, who carried the reputation of being a prolific striker, realized he wasn't offering a lot to the game anymore. The Dutchman had proven his worth on the big stage very early on in his career. He scored the winner and only goal of the 1995 Champions League final for Ajax against AC Milan.
After his exploits with the Eredevisie club, he moved to AC Milan for a lone season where his performances dipped. The striker's reputation was at stake when Barcelona signed him in 1998. He made the most of the star-studded side that the Spanish club had to enjoy the most prolific years of his life.
G⚽️AL OF THE DAY!
🛰 NASA called, they want their rocket back.
🚀 @PatrickKluivert https://t.co/RhKoTOoenQ
From 1998 to 2003, Kluivert scored 15 goals or more for the Catalans in five consecutive La Liga seasons. The 2003 season was the last when we saw the best of the Dutch striker. The stints at Newcastle United, Valencia and PSV were underwhelming as he struggled to make the most of his time on-field.
Kluivert realized that he had lost the magic touch and his ability to impact games. He announced his retirement at 31 in 2008 when he was playing for Losc Lille.