Another retirement news announcement rocked the soccer world and that is coming from England captain Steven Gerrard.
Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from international soccer last Monday. According to the Liverpool midfielder "I have enjoyed every minute of representing my country, and it is a sad day for me knowing that I won't pull on the England shirt again."
The recently concluded FIFA World Cup was Gerrard's sixth appearance and apparently the last one. His retirement didn't go off with flying colors having been eliminated earlier in the games.
Citied his reason for retiring as to ensure he can keep playing at a high level for Liverpool. The 34 year old soccer player thanked a couple of people for his whirlwind soccer career "I'd like to firstly thank my family and friends for all their support throughout my England journey. I'd also like to thank everyone who has been part of my international career, from the England managers I've played under to the staff at the FA and, of course, all the players I've been fortunate to play alongside."
He added "In particular, the supporters have been amazing, not least in Brazil, when they got behind the team despite the disappointing results. I'd especially like to thank Roy (Hodgson), firstly for giving me the captaincy permanently when he took the job, making me the proudest man in the country and allowing me to fulfill my childhood dream."
"He has been very understanding over the past few weeks and is a man I will always hold in the highest regard."
Gerrard said that choosing to retire was a difficult decision for him." This has been a very difficult decision, one of the toughest I've had to make in my career. I have agonised over this since coming back from Brazil and have spoken to family, friends and people close to me in the game before coming to this point."
He said that he need to look after his health in order to be able to play at his best with Liverpool. "Most importantly, Brendan (Rodgers, Liverpool manager) has been fantastic and obviously I have to look after my body as much as possible to ensure I can give everything when I take to the field. To ensure I can keep playing to a high level and giving everything to Liverpool, I believe this is the right decision, and having Champions League football back at Anfield is another big factor in my decision."
