Former Arsenal midfielder and England international Jack Wilshere has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 30.
Once seen as the future of the national team after breaking through with the Gunners as a skilful attacker, Wilshere suffered a huge volume of injuries that ultimately took their toll on his ability to perform consistently and at the highest level.
Though he played almost 200 times for Arsenal between 2008/09 and 2017/18, 139 of those appearances came by the time he was 24.
Wilshere was put out on loan at Bolton as a youngster, and another season away at Bournemouth in his penultimate campaign as an Arsenal player highlighted his enduring talent at times, but an eventual transfer to West Ham United failed to fully reignite his career.
He featured only 16 times for them in the Premier League, before another short-term move back to the Cherries. Last season, Wilshere signed for Aarhus side AGF in the Danish Superliga, before departing at the end of the campaign.
In a lengthy post on Twitter, he detailed the reasoning behind his decision, having opted against searching for a new club after his stint in Denmark.
“Today I am announcing my retirement from playing professional football.
“It has been an unbelievable journey filled with so many incredible moments and I feel privileged to have experienced all that I did during my career. From being the little boy kicking a ball around in the garden to captaining my beloved Arsenal and playing for my country at a World Cup, I have lived my dream.
“In truth it has been difficult to accept that my career has been slipping away in recent times due to reasons outside of my control, whilst feeling that I have still had so much to give. Having played at the very highest level I have always held such huge ambitions within the game, and if I am truthful I did not envisage being in this position at times.
“However, having had time to reflect and talk with those closest with me, I know that now is the right time and, despite the difficult moments, I look back on my career with great pride at what I have achieved. Playing at the very highest level with some of the best players in the world, winning FA Cups, captaining my club and representing my country were beyond my wildest dreams when I was a small boy growing up in Hitchin.”
Wilshere, who won 34 caps with England, including two at the 2014 World Cup, was in the top-10 youngest England players of all time when he debuted for the Three Lions.
Thanking his former clubs and coaches, he picked out several who had played a particularly prominent role in his earlier days, including the former Arsenal physio Colin Lewin, former manager Arsene Wenger and Gunners legend Pat Rice.
And it was the supporters of that club who also received his thanks as Wilshere bowed out, almost 14 years after making his Premier League bow at Ewood Park.
“Thank you to all of the other coaches from my senior career and... a special thank you to Roy Hodgson and Eddie Howe, both of whom are fantastic managers that showed belief in me at critical points in my career and when I needed it most,” he said.
“To the best supporters on the planet, all of you Arsenal fans, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. To play for you all has been a privilege. You’ve always made me feel supported and I hope I did you proud representing your club. I’ll never forget how you always backed me and I’ll forever be a Gooner.”
