“Nothing more for my heart”
©IMAGO
Before ringing in the new year, it’s worth taking another look at Transfermarkt at prominent footballers who hung up their shoes on the infamous nail. Or at least announced this plan. One with a long and emotional statement via his social networks – the other prefers to do so in silence. Like Joel Matip, who announced his end as a professional without any frills in mid-October via his long-time employer Liverpool FC. After his contract with the Reds ended, the 33-year-old had been without a club since the summer and had no further involvement.
There was a little more excitement with Raphaël Varane. The 31-year-old Frenchman announced his immediate retirement at the end of September after repeatedly struggling with physical problems. Varane, who was only celebrated as a transfer coup in the summer, wanted to stay with Como 1907, for which he was only on the pitch for 23 minutes, in another way. “Just without using my shoes and shin pads. I look forward to reporting more about it soon.” The 2018 world champion announced on Instagram “with great pride and a feeling of fulfillment my retirement from the game we all love.” The defender was reported to have a market value of 20 million euros on – top value among all ex-professionals.
Meanwhile, Andreas Luthe (37) demonstrated how you can retire at your peak and with a full load of emotions in your luggage. After the dramatic Bundesliga relegation with VfL Bochum, the keeper drew a line under the relegation against Fortuna Düsseldorf that had already been thought lost. “That was my last game in professional football. I won’t extend again. If you see this, it’s no longer for my heart. I also have to think about my health,” said the relieved keeper in May.
These players ended their careers in 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022 / 2023.
Shkodran Mustafi, German world champion in 2014, had long hoped to find a new challenge after his last stint at UD Levante. He had ruled out ending his career at TM in August 2023: “I’m only 31 and of course I’ll try. Especially because recent times have been catastrophic. Even if I were 34 or 35 now, I wouldn’t want to say goodbye to football like this. Absolutely not.” Last June he announced that he would be Marc-Patrick Meister’s assistant coach for the German U17 national team: “I’ve been carrying the idea of wanting to gain experience as a coach for a long time. On the one hand, it’s a shame that it’s coming so early because I would have liked to have played football myself longer. On the other hand, I’m really looking forward to the coming time and taking my first steps as a coach at the DFB.”