Horror truth about Kyle Bartley will give West Brom fans a newfound respect for him | OneFootball

Former West Brom defender Kyle Bartley has opened up on the issue that forced him to retire

West Bromwich Albion headed into the 2025/26 campaign after making a raft of changes in the summer.

Last season saw four different managers operate out of The Hawthorns’ home dugout, highlighting the inconsistency that plagued the Baggies all year.

A fresh start was needed post-season, which was kicked off by appointing Ryan Mason as the man to lead Albion forward into the future.

Additions such as Alfie Gilchrist, Nathaniel Phillips and Aune Heggebø gave West Brom a new look as they embarked upon the new term, eager to fight back towards the top of the table once more.

The Black Country outfit started the season well, with victories over Blackburn Rovers, Wrexham and Stoke City, which saw them sitting in the top three during the September international break.

Albion’s form has dropped off since then, with back-to-back defeats against Derby County and Middlesbrough damaging for their promotion chase.

Another key change that West Brom are dealing with this campaign is the absence of Kyle Bartley, who retired at the end of last term.

The defender hung up his boots at 34 years of age after making 30 second-tier starts in the previous season, showing that he still possessed the ability to perform regularly at that level.

However, Bartley has recently revealed the issues he was dealing with whilst playing for West Brom last season, which may further increase his admiration from the Hawthorns’ faithful.

Kyle Bartley opens up on extent of knee issue that forced retirement

A knee injury was given as the reason why the centre-back was retiring from the game, but just how bad the problem was had not been revealed.

Bartley has now opened up on the issue to BBC West Midlands Sport, specifying the physical damage he incurred whilst giving his all for the Baggies last season.

“I was more or less playing games and training very minimally to be honest with you, and trying to manage the swelling in my knee," exclaimed the defender to BBC West Midlands Sport.

“I’m left now with no ligament left in my knee and I need a knee replacement sooner or later, so it is what it is.

“A lot of footballers finish their careers, and they’ve got some kind of serious injuries, but I don’t regret any of them.”

Bartley made 232 appearances for West Bromwich Albion across seven years at the club and was part of the Baggies side that achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2020.

West Bromwich Albion supporters should fully appreciate Kyle Bartley’s sacrifice

As Bartley revealed, pushing himself to play last season despite struggling with injuries has caused massive damage to his knee, which now requires surgery to fix.

However, the defender was willing to make this sacrifice to aid West Bromwich Albion, highlighting just how committed he was to the Baggies’ cause even in the twilight of his career.

Albion’s faithful will recognise this act and appreciate it greatly, with such loyalty increasingly hard to find in modern football.

Although he had to retire from the game prematurely, Bartley will always have a place in West Brom folklore, especially more so due to the physical pain he put himself through to fight for the badge.