(Football news) Former England and Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph announced his retirement from football at the age of 32-year-old. He went on to make 204 Premier League appearances for Everton, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Leeds and won 20 international caps for his country. Delph’s contract with Everton expired in the summer after he suffered multiple injuries that restricted him to just 21 appearances over the last two seasons. Delph was subsequently a back-to-back Premier League champion with Manchester City in 2017/18 and 2018/19.
“So today I announce my retirement with nothing but happiness and gratitude for what this beautiful game has given me. Massive shout out to my family, friends, players and staff from the amazing clubs I have been fortunate enough to represent as well as the support I have had from the fans” Delph posted on his instagram.
Former Chelsea and Nigeria star Mikel John Obi also announced his retirement at the age of 35. The two-time Premier League winner brought down the curtain on his 18-year senior career that included spending 11 years at Stamford Bridge. The Nigerian midfielder’s final club was Kuwait SC after brief spells at Middlesbrough and Stoke. The 35-year-old retires as one of Africa’s most decorated footballers to play in Europe, having won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Premier League and the Africa Cup of Nations, a feat only matched or bettered by Samuel Eto’o, who is now the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation.
He was a highly-rated teenager and will always be known for his transfer debacle when Manchester United went as far as to announce his transfer from Norwegian side Lyn. But the defensive midfielder changed his mind, preferring to work with Jose Mourinho over Sir Alex Ferguson. Chelsea were able to make a case that they had reached an agreement with a representative of the player and they ultimately triumphed in a 14-month battle to win his signature. Obi Mikel also claimed that he was pressured to initially agree a move to Old Trafford. The Blues were thrilled to sign him, and paid the Red Devils a hefty fee for their troubles. "It was like a movie," Mikel would later reflect.
“There is a saying that ‘all good things must come to an end’, and for my professional football career, that day is today. I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and more importantly the human it has helped shape” said Mikel on Instagram.
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