Some players stay in place too long. Others, on the other hand, leave soon. The 90min newsroom offers you a list of 20 footballers who retired prematurely.
The emperor he became a sensation in Italy, first at Parma and then at Inter Milan, where he won four Serie A league titles. He also scored 27 goals in 48 appearances for Brazil, including a crucial goal in the Copa América final. 2004 against Argentina.
However, Hadrian’s career was cut short by injuries and rumors that the player’s life lost control due to his alcoholism, weight gain and inability to stay out of the Brazilian favelas where he grew up. After a few years in Brazil without success, she retired in 2014 at the age of 32.
The most famous twins in German football, Lars and Sven Bender, began their careers together at 1860 Munich before they both left the club in 2009.
They ended up at Bayer Leverkusen in 2017 but decided to hang up their boots at the same time after a run of injuries.
In his last match against Borussia Dortmund in May 2021, Sven captained Leverkusen and Lars came on from the bench to score a late penalty.
The Northern Ireland legend retired from football with less than 30 years. He was the first footballer in show business and, after lighting up Old Trafford as one of the greatest footballers of his generation, he came back, but never reached the heights he had before. Pelé even called him the best in the world. Some of the many clubs he later attended include Fulham, Bournemouth, Hibernian and many more around the world, especially in the United States.
Shortly before his 31st birthday, the Frenchman retired when he was at the highest level. His trainer Alex Ferguson explained at the time: “Eric fundamentally believes that he has to get to the top. Now that he’s gone I’m not disappointed. There are no complaints in my heart.”. The charismatic striker spent five years at Old Trafford, but he left fans with indelible memories, going down in history as one of the greatest players to wear a United jersey. Red Devils.
Often regarded by many as one of the greatest French defensive midfielders of all time, Deschamps led his team to victory in the 1998 World Cup. Known primarily for his time at Juventus, he also played for clubs such as Chelsea, Marseille and the Spanish club Valencia.
However, he did something completely unpredictable when he announced his retirement in 2001 at the age of 32. For some the reason was due to the injuriesand for many speculators it was the simple fact that he had already made up his mind.
Benedikt Höwedes, a true pillar of the German team during its world title won in Brazil in 2014, announced his retirement in 2020. The iconic former Schalke 04 player stopped at just 32 years old to focus more on family life.
Kluivert heralded his arrival on the European front by scoring Ajax’s winning goal in the 1995 Champions League final against AC Milan.
Two years later, after scoring 39 goals in 70 league games for Ajax, he moved to Milan. He stayed only one year in Italy before signing for FC Barcelona.
He then went through Valencia, PSV Eindhoven and Lille before ending his career in 2008, with only 32 years.
Bayern Munich and Germany legend Philipp Lahm ended his career on his own terms at just 33 years old, confirming his intention to retire in the 2016/17 season and just three days after reaching the 500 milestone. matches with Bayern.
Lahm finished as champion when he secured his fifth consecutive Bundesliga title with a whopping 25-point margin of victory. Three years earlier, he had already retired from international football in his prime, just five days after winning the World Cup.
The man with 40 goals for the Colombian team hung up his boots in 2020 at 33 years. Author of 92 goals in 133 matches with Porto, he was loaned for 35 million euros to Atlético de Madrid in 2015. Total failure, he went into exile in China before returning to Portugal at the Portimonense club.
Hidetoshi Nakata retired before he was 30, but will go down in history as one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time.
At the 1998 World Cup, Nakata excelled despite Japan failing to live up to his potential. He then played two more World Cups. She decided to quit soccer after losing her love for him. She reportedly said that the game had become too commercial and that players were playing for money and not for fun.
Great hope of French football, Samir Nasri could have done everything better. A key player at Arsenal and Manchester City, with 41 caps he retired at the age of 33. After a strong season in Seville under Sampaoli, he was lost in Turkey and played 14 games in two years at West Ham and Anderlecht. He later claimed that his suspension was one of the triggers that pushed him to retire.
The Italian international of Argentine origin put an end to his career to devote himself to music. The controversial striker, a failure at Southampton, was sacked by Boca Juniors earlier in the year after smoking in the locker room after the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals.
The Chievo offered him a lifeline, but he decided to focus on his band and follow his rock and roll lifestyle. Osvaldo retired with just 30 years
He started in Division 1 on August 25, 1978 at the Parc des Princes at just fifteen years old, entering the break against PSG to replace the injured Dominique Rocheteau. Therefore, a lot of hopes are pinned on this player when he has just joined the “Greens”.
With only 26 years and with already 10 years as a professional, Paga decided to retire, while he continued playing in small clubs of lower divisions.
Michel Platini is remembered recently for the difficult times he went through as a former UEFA president, but he was arguably the best player in the world during his career, winning three Ballon d’Ors and playing for Juventus and the French national team.
The Frenchman’s decision to retire to the 32 years It surprised many as it still had a lot to offer on the pitch.
Former Dutch midfielder Davy Propper announced his retirement from football in January 2022, explaining that he lost his love of the game during his recent spell in England with Brighton; he no longer felt comfortable in football culture. The episode of the pandemic and the isolation favored his decision to retire at the age of 30.
Considered one of the best players of his generation, Frank Rijkaard was known for his versatility and leadership abilities on the pitch. A dynamic presence for clubs like Ajax, AC Milan and the Netherlands, whom he helped win numerous trophies during his career.
Rijkaard is undoubtedly one of the best Dutch players, but he retired very early, at the age of 32, to retrain as a coach.
A talented goalkeeper who generated interest after starring in the 1998 World Cup with Argentina. Roa hung up his gloves and settled on a farm in his native land, awaiting the arrival of four horsemen, since he believed that the end of the world would come at the end of the century. He soon returned to the pitch with his old club Mallorca, with the world still intact.
An exemplary goalkeeper at Saint-Étienne, Ruffier was cold towards his management and his coach Claude Puel, who pushed him to the bench and then to the reserve because the goalkeeper did not want to be replaced. He was permanently fired in January 2021 when the club terminated his contract. He retired soon after at the age of 33 years.
Former Bayern Munich and Germany striker Sandro Wagner surprisingly hung up his boots at the age of 32.
After leaving Bavaria in 2019, he spent the last year and a half in China with Tianjin TEDA but terminated his contract in 2020 after playing 26 games and scoring 12 goals.
Zinédine Zidane retired in 2006, at the age of 34, just after the famous header.
It is a terrible way to leave the best French footballer of his generation. Zidane should have come back for one more season, just to do things right.
He won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, the Ballon d’Or in 1998 and the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times.
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