5 footballers who retired before the age of 30
Injuries and health issues are a part of every footballer's life. Every season, there are players who suffer from blows, knocks and injuries that cut short their season by weeks or months or for the rest of the year.
Despite overcoming a particular injury, there are many times when a player is hit with the same medical issue which becomes a further cause of strain. It also prevents clubs from buying players who have a history of the problems recurring in their careers.
However, with the growth and importance that is given to sports science in modern football, sports scientists tend to further dictate a player's career. It has led to players being forced to end their career due to a failure of overcoming any constant setbacks and having to retire in their 20s.
We take a look at the players who were forced to retire before the age of 30:
#5 Julian Nagelsmann
In February 2016, Julian Nagelsmann took the reins of Hoffenheim at the age of just 28, becoming the youngest manager in Bundesliga history. He initially took charge until the end of the season with the club struggling in 17th place, battling relegation. However, under his management, Hoffenheim won 50% of their remaining games and avoided the drop.
When it comes to his playing career, it never kickstarted. He started his youth career with FC Augsburg and later move on to 1860 Munich. He stayed four years in Munich but failed to make an appearance.
Devastating knee injuries in his teenage years ended his career at the tender age of 20. After quitting football, Nagelsmann went to a university to study before switching over to coaching, working under Thomas Tuchel for FC Augsburg's reserve team.
Later, he went on to coach from the U16s to the U19 level. Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim side managed to make it to the Champions League qualifiers earlier this season after finishing the previous campaign in the top four.