Former Sunderland midfielder El Hadji Ba retires aged 33 | OneFootball

Former Sunderland midfielder El Hadji Ba has retired from professional football at 33. The player said in a post that he was ending his playing career after more than 25 years.

Ba began at CSL Aulnay aged six, progressed to Le Havre’s academy and made his senior debut for the Normandy club in 2012.

Sunderland signed him on a free in July 2013. He made three senior appearances and scored as a substitute in a 3-1 FA Cup win over Carlisle United at the Stadium of Light. He spent the following season on loan at Bastia, then left permanently for Charlton in 2015.

He later represented Stabæk, Sochaux, Lens, Guingamp and Apollon Limassol. His spell in Mauritania began with Nouadhibou in December 2023 after departing Apollon earlier that year. French federation records list Spanish side Real Balompédica Linense among his clubs from September 2024, though his retirement note did not mention them.

Ba played for France at under-18, under-19 and under-20 level before switching to Mauritania at senior level. In his message, he thanked family, team-mates and staff, and said he intends to start a new chapter in the game.

Source: Sunderland Echo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”