Former Arsenal and England midfield star Jack Wilshere has announced his retirement from professional football, aged 30.
Wilshere made the announcement on his verified Twitter handle on Friday.
The midfielder burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old and became the youngest player in the club’s history when he made his debut in 2008.
Wilshere quickly established himself as a key component of an Arsene Wenger side built around a clutch of gifted, young midfield technicians.
Unfortunately a series of injuries robbed Wilshere of the best years of his career and he struggled to fulfil his potential before he left his boyhood club shortly after Arsene Wenger’s departure in 2018.
Spells at Bournemouth and West Ham followed but he never hit the heights he did during the early stages of a career.
After regaining fitness last year while training with Arsenal, Wilshere attempted to relaunch his career in Denmark with AGF and made 14 appearances.
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After that spell came to and end, however, Wilshere has decided to call it quit in a lengthy, emotional statement on Friday.
“Today I am announcing my retirement from playing professional football,” he wrote. “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.”
During his time at Arsenal, Wilshere won two FA Cups in 2014 and 2015 and also the Community Shield in 2014.
He was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 2011 and was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in the 2010/11 season.
Also, he was named Arsenal Player of the Season in the 2010/11 campaign.
