EURO FOOTBALL SUPERSTARS WHO MAY SOON CALL IT A DAY

THE pandemic has increased the stresses of football fans and clubs around the world and since 2020, retirements have often been overlooked. Wayne Rooney became the first high-profile retirement of 2021, after leaving his role as a player for Derby County in order to start managing the club. The following are some of the other highprofile players who could be set to call it a day this year, though Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be one of them after he agreed to stay with AC Milan for a further season and has even since ended his international retirement at the age of 39.

Franck Ribery

The Frenchman has been on the books of Fiorentina since 2019 after ending a 12-year spell with Germany’s Bayern Munich which saw him establish himself as a Bundesliga legend. Now 38 years old, Ribery has nothing left to prove as a player and could opt to call it a day at the end of this season with his contract expiring. It must also be added that after finishing his spell with Bayern, the former France international declared that he has another two seasons in the tank. He is set to soon conclude his second season with Fiorentina.

Gianluigi Buffon

At the age of 43, Buffon appears to be content being back-up goalkeeper for Juventus, where he is a club legend. Due to his love for the game, some have speculated that the 2006 World Cup winner could even carry on playing beyond the age of 50. However, Buffon has said that he plans to retire by the end of the 202223 season, though he did not rule out the possibility of calling time on his career earlier. One of the greatest keepers in history, Buffon has won everything on offer except the Champions League.

Ashley Young

The former England international's contract with Inter Milan is set to come to an end soon. Now 35, the former Manchester United utility player has been playing regularly this season for Inter so it will not be surprising if he opts to continue his career should he leave Antonio Conte's club. With his boyhood club Watford having recently secured promotion to the Premier League, he could opt to “return home” and use his experience and knowledge to help the Hornets stay up in the English top flight. During his latter days with United, Jose Mourinho also appeared to be a fan of Young and so it won’t be surprising if the veteran opts to commit himself to AS Roma who have since appointed Mourinho as their manager.

Giorgio Chiellini

In his 16-year spell with Juventus, Chiellini has established himself as one of the greatest Italian defenders of the modern generation. His contract is set to soon expire and he has not exactly been a first-team regular for Juve this season. However, he has represented Italy as recently as this year and so could still be in the Italian Euro squad. It remains to be seen whether he will continue playing or end his career at the end of the season.