​Former Chelsea and England star Danny Drinkwater announces retirement in surprise move

In a surprise move, Former Chelsea and England star Danny Drinkwater announced his retirement on Monday. The former midfielder has remained out of the fame for nearly 18 months.

Drinkwater last represented Championship club Reading but failed to secure a move following his Blues exit. The 33-year-old has made just 75 appearances in the past six years

"I'd just like to announce my retirement from professional football. It's probably been a long time coming, especially with the last year, but I think it's time to officially announce it now," Drinkwater said while speaking on the High Performance podcast.


The former midfielder said he feels ready to hang up the boots.

"I didn't think it would bother me but saying it then it's almost like scratching a nerve a bit. I think I've been ready for it, not stopping at my peak and it's simmered down a bit, that's helped the transition. I think I've been in limbo for too long, I've either been wanting to play but not getting the opportunities to play at a level where I felt valued. I just thought I'm restless here for no reason, I'm happy not playing football, but I'm happy playing football, so do I just shake hands with the sport?," he said.

"It's all I've known, it's been my life since I was six or seven, it was never going to be an easy thing. I think the way it's died down has definitely helped. If I was playing week in, week out and had to stop through injury or age I think it would be trickier. I've had quite a few offers from Championship clubs, but I never felt the burn, it did nothing for me," the former Chelsea star further said.

Drinkwater began his career with Manchester United, but his peak came after he made a permanent switch to Leicester.

The 33 -year-old helped Leicester City reach the Premier League as they lifted an historic title in 2016. Drinkwater managed to secure a spot in the England squad, earning three caps under the management of Roy Hodgson. Despite narrowly missing out on a place in the squad for Euro 2016, Drinkwater's star was undeniably on the rise.

Staying loyal to Leicester, he was instrumental in their journey to the Champions League quarter-finals, but soon thereafter, he sealed a significant £35 million move to Chelsea. However, his time at Stamford Bridge was plagued by unfortunate injuries, limiting his appearances to a mere 22 matches and a solitary goal.

Following a series of setbacks, including a training ground altercation with teammate Jota, Drinkwater found himself departing Aston Villa. His subsequent attempts to regain form through loan stints with Burnley, Turkish side Kasimpasa, and Reading did not yield the desired results, despite a more consistent run with the latter, where he made 34 appearances for the Royals.