Süle not alone! These stars quit far too early | OneFootball

A football career sometimes ends sooner than the player or the fans would like. At just 30 years old, Niklas Süle announced his retirement today. Unusually early?

Time and again, footballers hang up their boots early, sometimes more voluntarily and sometimes less so. We’ve picked out a few prominent examples for you.

Eric Cantona

Although coach Sir Alex Ferguson himself wanted to persuade him to keep playing, Eric Cantona announced his retirement in May 1997. As he later revealed in his autobiography, despite his continued success at Man United, he had lost his desire to play football.

Uli Hoeneß

In Uli Hoeneß’ case, it wasn’t a lost passion that led him to retire at just 27. It was his right knee. The Bayern star of the time suffered a serious injury in the 1975 European Cup final and was never the same again. Three years later, after 239 Bundesliga games and 86 goals for Bayern, it was all over far too soon.

📸 2015 Getty Images

André Schürrle

According to his own statements in June 2020, loneliness and the constant competition in professional football made continuing impossible for André Schürrle. The 2014 World Cup winner said goodbye to professional football at just 29 years old. Since then, he has found his sporting passion in mountaineering and ultraruns around the world.

Sebastian Deisler

Unlike Schürrle, Sebastian Deisler was denied a World Cup title despite his great talent. The former hope of FC Bayern Munich endured a career marked by mental health struggles. In January 2007, he drew a line under his playing days. At just 27, he ended his career and turned away from public life.

Marcell Jansen

Marcell Jansen was different. The full-back remained loyal to professional football even after his career ended. In 2019, he was elected president of Hamburger SV. Before that, he had ended his career at just 29 out of love for HSV. The Rothosen did not offer Jansen a new contract. However, another club was no longer an option for him.

📸 Joern Pollex - 2013 Getty Images

Raphaël Varane

While we’re on the subject of defenders: Raphaël Varane dominated Real Madrid’s back line for years, became a world champion with France in 2018, and wanted to prove himself once more in Serie A in 2024 at the age of 31. After his move to Como, however, Varane suffered a serious knee injury. Shortly afterwards, he officially announced his retirement.

Marco van Basten

Marco van Basten’s retirement was also caused by injury. The Dutch striker had missed almost two years for AC Milan from 1993 to 1995 due to persistent ankle problems. At the end of the 1995 season, there was no way out. In tears, alongside the fans and his then coach Fabio Capello, he said goodbye to his professional career at San Siro.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Christof Koepsel - 2018 Getty Images