In this article, we will learn about the footballers who retired in 2024.
A football player’s life is usually not very long. They typically only play on the pitch for 20 years at most, with 35 being the customary retirement age.
It is scarcely a surprise that the door to retirement finally props open given the enormous expectations and growing fixture list.
After spending their entire lives pushing themselves to the maximum on the pitch, some people look forward to hanging up their boots.
They receive little respite and find it exhausting and taxing. For some, though, a break in habit is the worst thing ever. There’s a rationale to the cliche that athletes die twice.
Concerns over player welfare and the overabundance of fixtures have only grown in 2024. It’s uncertain if it has a direct bearing on players’ decisions to retire, but there’s no denying that action must be taken to protect football players.
The major personalities set to retire in 2024 have already been listed.
| Footballers who retired in 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Final Club | Nationality | Age |
| Raphael Varane | Como | France | 31 |
| Wojciech Szczesny | Juventus | Poland | 34 |
| Pepe | Porto | Portugal | 41 |
| Toni Kroos | Real Madrid | Germany | 34 |
| Thiago Alcantara | Liverpool | Spain | 33 |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Fenerbahce | Italy | 37 |
| Ryan Bertrand | Leicester | England | 34 |
| Joe Hart | Celtic | England | 37 |
| Marouane Fellaini | Shandong Taishan | Belgium | 36 |
| Andres Iniesta | |||
Marouane Fellaini
One of the highest-paid players in China Super League history, Marouane Fellaini, made the decision to put up his boots for good in February 2024. Naturally, he had amassed a substantial income for himself after five years of trading in Asia, which seems to have influenced his important choice. “What an amazing journey it has been,” Fellaini wrote on social media.
Fellaini was the complete opposite of other players who would strive to hide from observers. When he played for Everton, his signature haircut, which bounced in the air, made it impossible to overlook him. His “clutch” effect in the last third of the game said it all.
Also Read: 5 All-Time Best French players in La Liga History
One of the few players Manchester United could always count on was Fellaini during their most dismal periods.
Powerful headers, a fantastic work ethic, and a charm that brought life to a sad club made him well-loved by fans, even if he wasn’t naturally one of the finest players in the world.
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Everton | 177 | 33 | 24 |
| Manchester United | 177 | 22 | 9 |
| Shandong Taishan | 141 | 50 | 14 |
| Standard Liege | 84 | 12 | 6 |
Joe Hart
Joe Hart is usually the first person to come to mind when considering the all-time great goalkeepers in the Premier League.
His charisma, flair, and barely-acceptable cockiness helped Manchester City win the competition for the first time in 2012, and he stood out from the crowd.
Despite all the positives, his time at Man City ended when Pep Guardiola chose a goalkeeper who could play out from the back.
The Englishman moved throughout Europe after that before rising to fame at Celtic. He was still performing well for the storied Scottish team in the 2023–2024 season, but he didn’t want his “body to be retiring” him.
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals conceded | Clean Sheets |
| Manchester City | 348 | 347 | 137 |
| Celtic | 153 | 145 | 64 |
| Shrewsbury | 55 | 63 | 15 |
| Birmingham | 41 | 46 | 12 |
| Torino | 37 | 64 | 5 |
| Burnley | 24 | 48 | 6 |
| West Ham | 23 | 42 | 6 |
| Tottenham | 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Tranmere | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Blackpool | 5 | 6 | 1 |
Ryan Bertrand
The 2012 hero. The Chelsea fan base will always consider Ryan Bertrand a legend because of his part in the team’s inaugural Champions League victory.
He was an unorthodox left midfielder with very little experience when he started the final match against Bayern Munich, but he excelled and helped the Blues achieve the ultimate objective in sports.
In June 2024, he declared his retirement from football, however, the year following his departure from Leicester City, he was without a club.
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Southampton | 240 | 8 | 17 |
| Norwich | 60 | 0 | 2 |
| Chelsea | 57 | 2 | 2 |
| Reading | 51 | 1 | 3 |
| Oldham | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Nottingham Forest | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| Aston Villa | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Leicester | 12 | 1 | 2 |
Leonardo Bonucci
Leonardo Bonucci famously exclaimed, “It’s coming Rome,” when Italy defeated England on penalties to win Euro 2020. He solidified his legendary status as one of the all-time great centre-backs for the Italians.
The captain of Italy won nine Serie A titles in his career. He was a constant force in one of the hardest leagues in the world, something that most people can barely fathom.
Before his lackluster tenures at Union Berlin and Fenerbahce, Bonucci’s first move towards retirement was claimed to have been said by Juventus in September 2023. In a heartfelt club statement, the Italian powerhouses said, “The thread that binds us cannot be broken.”
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Juventus | 502 | 37 | 10 |
| AC Milan | 51 | 2 | 1 |
| Treviso | 42 | 4 | 0 |
| Bari | 39 | 1 | 1 |
| Pisa | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Fenerbahce | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| Union Berlin | 10 | 1 | 0 |
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara left Liverpool at the end of the 2023–2024 season, and he announced his retirement in July 2024. Despite his incredible career, which included two Champions League wins and eleven league championships, there will always be people who wonder “what if.”
Due to his persistent injury issues, the Spaniard was unable to consistently match up with the top midfield players.
He was an incredible passer of the ball when he was at his peak, but he also spent a lot of time in the locker room. By gliding around the middle of the pitch and commanding matches, rival players disliked playing against him when he was available.
Also Read: Kevin De Bruyne vs Toni Kroos – Compare All Stats
Even still, the former Barcelona midfielder was happy with his choice despite his understandable frustration. “I will always be willing to give back what I have been given, and I am grateful for the time. I have enjoyed it,” he said on social media.
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Bayern Munich | 235 | 31 | 37 |
| Barcelona | 100 | 11 | 20 |
| Liverpool | 98 | 3 | 6 |
Toni Kroos
In addition to being one of the all-time great midfielders, Toni Kroos is also maybe one of the greatest footballers of all time. Nothing was more enjoyable than seeing the German play in the middle of the park while he and Luka Modric dominated Real Madrid games.
The best farewell for Kroos was the Champions League final triumph over Borussia Dortmund, when he announced his retirement on May 21, 2024.
However, more international success eluded him, and he played his final match at Euro 2024. He and his nation won the World Cup in 2014, but a decade later, Germany was unable to repeat the feat at home as they were defeated 2-1 by Spain in the quarterfinals. He signed off at the top, which was exactly what he wanted, in spite of that disappointment.
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Real Madrid | 465 | 28 | 99 |
| Bayern Munich | 205 | 24 | 49 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 48 | 10 | 13 |
Pepe
Pepe is not the kind of person who should transition smoothly into a good night. The brutal centre-back was a 35-year-old free agent in the winter of 2018 following an incredibly fruitful and explosive career at the top of the European game with Real Madrid, where he won 13 titles and missed 20 games due to suspension.
At that point, a lot of weaker players would have been satisfied with an overstuffed trophy cabinet and bank account and hung up their sharpened studs. Not with Pepe.
After becoming a regular Portugal international, the player stayed an additional five and a half years with Porto, where he helped the team win four cups and two top-flight titles.
No one questioned Pepe’s selection, even though he is two years older than his close friend Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the constant lamentation over Ronaldo’s inclusion in Portugal’s Euro 2024 roster.
At 41, the oldest player in European Championship history rolled back the years with a flurry of dominant displays, proving that he had, in the words of his manager Roberto Martinez, “genetics you can’t buy”.
However, a month after the tournament, even the eternal Pepe had to end his career.
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Real Madrid | 334 | 15 | 20 |
| FC Porto | 288 | 17 | 11 |
| CS Maritimo | 63 | 3 | 2 |
| Besiktas | 52 | 7 | 3 |
Raphael Varane
Raphael Varane has always taken charge of his football career. He courteously ended the call when Zinedine Zidane called him, hoping to entice the gifted youngster to move from Lens to Real Madrid, so he could concentrate on preparing for his college entrance examinations.
Many were taken aback when the Frenchman, who was only 31 years old, decided to end his playing career. Varane is younger than seven players on the Como club, whom he joined in July, but very few teams on the continent can match his trophy-filled background.
Varane made his last professional start for Manchester United in the victorious FA Cup final this year, marking the 22nd trophy the 2018 World Cup winner would win.
| Career Club Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Lens | 24 | 2 | 0 |
| Real Madrid | 360 | 17 | 7 |
| Manchester United | 95 | 2 | 1 |
| Como | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta debuted for the first squad in 2002, but he didn’t start playing frequently until the 2004–05 campaign.
But Iniesta’s big break at Barcelona came against Arsenal in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final, when he entered the game as a substitute and significantly changed the course of play, leading the Catalans to victory.
In addition to being awarded Man of the Match and starting in the tournament’s All-Star side, he was an important player of the Spanish side that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored the game-winning goal against the Netherlands in the final and was named Man of the Match.
