Shock retirements from football

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

As the beautiful game is preparing for a busy international summer which includes a Copa America and a European Championships, it is time to look at some players who gave football up, either through injury or surprised many with their decision to walk away.

Last week, German insiders were surprised to learn of Stefan Reinartz’s decision to hang up his boots at the age of 27. The former Bayer Leverkusen defensive midfielder had spent the previous campaign playing for Eintracht Frankfurt. Although injury restricted him to just 15 appearances in 2015/2016; his announcement was a shock just days after Frankfurt beat off the threat of relegation.

Here are some other surprising retirements for losing passion for the game or having to succumb to injuries.

Eric Cantona (1997)

Often considered as the final piece in the Manchester United jigsaw under Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona’s record in England was remarkable. In his six seasons on these shores, he won the league title five times.

Eric Cantona was the genius of Manchester United until his retirement in 1997

The talismanic Frenchman (pictured) joined the Red Devils in a move that angered Leeds United fans in November 1992. Cantona had helped the Yorkshire outfit overhaul United in the closing weeks of the final Football League season before the Premier League came into force.

His impact was immediate. A goal against Chelsea on his away debut started a love affair that persisted throughout his five campaigns at Old Trafford. He was a complex character and controversy often surrounded him. He was sent off five times in his United career – most famously in January 1995 at Selhurst Park. As he walked off the pitch, abuse was shouted in his direction by a Crystal Palace supporter. Cantona’s response was to launch himself into the crowd with the infamous kung-fu kick that landed him with an eight-month suspension and 120 hours of community service. Cue that famous reference to sardines and seagulls!

He returned and turned the 1995/1996 title race on its head, helping Ferguson’s side claw back a 12-point deficit to deny Newcastle United and Kevin Keegan. The 1996 FA Cup and another league title in 1997 followed.

Then a week after lifting the Premiership crown at Old Trafford, he announced his sudden retirement from the game at the age of 30. The King had checked out but the memories still remain of his genius in the 1990s on the English game.

Marcell Jansen (2015)

Stefan Reinartz’s announcement last week caught many out in German football but it didn’t quite topple Marcell Jansen’s shock retirement at the end of the 2014/2015 campaign. He gave football up at the age of just 29.

Jansen had a wonderful career in the Bundesliga, representing Borussia Mönchengladbach, FC Bayern München and Hamburger SV with dignity and class. He won the domestic double with Bayern in 2008 and was part of the German national setup that finished runners-up in EURO 2008 and third place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Jansen actually scored one of the goals in the third-placed match against Uruguay in Port Elizabeth.

In June 2015, Hamburg elected not to renew his contract and Jansen promptly took the decision to hang up his boots. He was criticised widely for going too soon but he believed Hamburg was the only team for him and couldn’t find the passion to represent another club. It was a bold decision.

Norman Whiteside (1991)

Aged 26 when he retired due to persistent knee trouble, Norman Whiteside had already achieved a lot in the game. He had the potential to do even more if it wasn’t for injury and a persistent struggle with alcohol.

Whiteside spent the majority of his playing career with Manchester United. He is still the youngest-ever player to score in the League Cup and FA Cup finals. It was his wonderful strike in the 1985 FA Cup final that denied Everton a domestic double. It was Ron Atkinson’s last piece of silverware as Manchester United manager.

He was also part of the last golden Northern Ireland side that featured in the 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals. He won 38 caps for his country, scoring nine goals.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s arrival as Manchester United manager in 1986 was the beginning of the end for Whiteside at Old Trafford. Ferguson had to rebuke Whiteside for his heavy drinking sessions and already struggling with knee injuries, he was sold to Everton in 1989. He carried on playing until June 1991, when he had to call it a day after only featuring twice in the 1990/1991 season.

Still considered as one of Northern Ireland’s best products, Norman Whiteside achieved a lot, but it could have been an even better career if injury hadn’t struck.

David Bentley (2014)

It wasn’t injury that saw David Bentley walk away from football; he simply fell out of love for the game at the age of 29. His career was one that promised a lot but he will perhaps be best remembered for soaking Harry Redknapp live on Sky Sports after Tottenham Hotspur had secured Champions League qualification in May 2010.

Bentley spent his early education with Tottenham’s north London rivals Arsenal, but made his name as a precocious talent at Blackburn Rovers. He actually became the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick against Manchester United in February 2006.

Tottenham bought him for £15m in 2008 but apart from a marvellous goal back at the Emirates Stadium, his career never quite took off at White Hart Lane. Loan spells at Birmingham City, West Ham United and FC Rostov in Russia failed to regain the sparkle.  

Having been without a club for a year, Bentley announced his retirement in June 2014, calling the modern game “robotic” due to the influence of social media and money. It could have been so different for Bentley, but Spurs fans will always remember that goal against Arsenal in 2008.

Other Examples

Lars Elstrup – Won the European Championships with Denmark in 1992 but quit football a year later to join a religious commune. He was just 30 when he gave the game up.

Hidetoshi Nakata – Possibly there is something about retiring from football at the age of 29. Hidetoshi Nakata was another example. He won 77 international caps for Japan and played at the 2002 World Cup in which the Japanese were co-hosts. He quit after falling out of love with football following a loan spell with Bolton Wanderers. He decided to start travelling around his homeland after his European exploits.

Espen Baardsen – Ian Walker’s loyal understudy at Tottenham Hotspur in the 1990s, Espen Baardsen simply had enough of football at the age of 25. Having played in the Premier League and being part of the Norway squad at the 1998 World Cup, he decided to travel the world. In 2005, he joined an asset management fund with football as a completely previous pastime in his life.

Marco van Basten – Still only 31 when he retired from professional football, it was injuries that ultimately got the better of the great Marco van Basten. He was the star of EURO 88, winning the competition with the Netherlands and scoring one of the greatest goals ever seen in football in the final against USSR. He won 22 major honours for club and country but retired in August 1995 having not played at all for two years due to persistent knee injuries.