At EM 2016 in the tournament team
© Imago
Joe Allen hangs out his football shoes at the age of 35. The championship game against Oxford United next Saturday (1:30 p.m.) will be the last for the Welsh international. His career ends where she started: at Swansea City.
With the Swans, the graven made the leap from the League One to the Premier League, before everyone switched to Liverpool (132 games) for 19 million euros in 2012. In the same year he was awarded the footballer of the year in Wales. Four years later we went to Stoke City for 15.5 million euros, where he stayed for six years before returning to Swansea.
For his youth club, everyone will play their 230th game on the weekend, nine more than for the Potters. For Wales he was on the pitch 77 times. With the dragons, he took part in two European championships and a world championship. At the European Championship 2016, he moved into the semi -finals with Wales and was later elected to the tournament team.
“It was a very difficult decision, but one that I naturally thought about,” said Allen, who had to deal with some injuries such as an Achilles tendon tear during his career. “I am now 35 years old and in view of what I expected my body with the injuries, and given the level that I can reach at the moment, it feels like it is the right time to end my career.” It was better to be able to determine the moment yourself.
“I spoke to so many people who were not satisfied with the end of their career, be it due to an injury or an exemption. So I am in the fortunate situation to be back with the club that I love and have had the opportunity to get home for the last three seasons,” said everyone. “It is very special that I announced my end of my career as a player of Swansea City, I was very lucky. To end my career where it started, feels like the circle is going to close.”