Ex-England Defender Phil Jagielka Retires From Football Aged 41

Phil Jagielka, an English footballer, has decided to retire after a career spanning 23 years and more than 700 professional appearances.

The 41-year-old former England, Everton, and Sheffield United defender announced his retirement on Tuesday, November 28.

Jagielka opted to stop his 23-year professional playing career after being dismissed by Championship club Stoke at the end of last season.

Jagielka made over 750 club matches and earned 40 England caps between 2008 and 2016.

He scored three goals for England and was a member of the squads for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “As you can tell by the timing, I’ve tried to put myself out there for a little bit longer to see if anyone fancied giving me an opportunity to extend it, but they didn’t and I understand that.

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“I’m super proud of myself to play at 40.

“If you’d have sat me down as a 15 or 16-year-old kid after being told I wasn’t good enough and then fast forward telling me I’d scored at 40, played at 40 and had the career I’ve had then I don’t think I can have too many complaints.”

Jagielka appeared in almost 300 games for Sheffield United over his two stints with the club.

“I managed to stay in and around the England set-up for close to a decade and somehow managed to get 40 caps.

“I scored a few goals along the way and thankfully captained the team.

“Playing for your country is an amazing achievement and it wasn’t something I expected to do. I got released at 15 or 16 and managed to bounce back all the way to the top.”

Asked what is next, Jagielka responded: “I always said that when I retired it was going to be golf, golf, golf! But I’m just going to take a bit of time out.

“Will I go into coaching or not? I don’t know.”