Barry Douglas retires as Mateusz Klich and Luke Ayling lead tributes | OneFootball

Barry Douglas, a Championship title winner under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, has announced his retirement on Instagram, with a string of 2019/20 promotion teammates paying tribute.

The left-back joined from Wolves in the summer of 2018 for around £3m, becoming Bielsa’s first permanent signing. He made 44 appearances across two Championship seasons and helped deliver promotion.

He never made a Premier League appearance for Leeds, spending 2020/21 on loan at Blackburn Rovers before departing when his contract expired a year later. Across a 17-year career he played 455 games for seven clubs in four countries, winning the Championship with Leeds and Wolves, the Ekstraklasa twice with Lech Poznan, and cups in Poland and Türkiye.

His message reflected that it was time to say goodbye to playing and that he could look back with pride on a career approaching 500 games. He thanked the clubs who trusted him and highlighted the honour of representing Scotland.

Tributes from former teammates followed. Mateusz Klich called it a pleasure to play alongside him and saluted his Polish, while Patrick Bamford congratulated him and wished him well for what comes next.

Luke Ayling praised a fine career and the memories they shared. Gaetano Berardi hailed him as a top man and urged him to enjoy the future, while Leif Davis thanked him for guidance and Tyler Roberts said it was a career to be proud of.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk