Sports
Premier League Title Winner, Danny Drinkwater, Retires At 33
Former England midfielder, Danny Drinkwater, has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 33.
The Premier League title winner with Leicester City moved to Chelsea but played only a bit-part role and has decided to hang up his boots having been “in limbo too long” following his release from there last year, Daily Mail reports Monday.
The 33-year-old said, “I’d just like to announce my retirement from professional football. It’s probably been a long time coming, especially with the last year, but I think it’s time to officially announce it now.
“I didn’t think it would bother me, but saying it then it’s almost like scratching a nerve a bit. I think I’ve been ready for it, not stopping at my peak, and it’s simmered down a bit. that’s helped the transition.
“I think I’ve been in limbo for too long; I’ve either been wanting to play but not getting the opportunities to play at a level where I felt valued.
“I just thought I’m restless here for no reason; I’m happy not playing football, but I’m happy playing football, so do I just shake hands with the sport? It’s all I’ve known; it’s been my life since I was six or seven. It was never going to be an easy thing.
“I think the way it’s died down has definitely helped. If I were playing week in and week out and had to stop through injury or age, I think it would be trickier. I’ve had quite a few offers from championship clubs, but I never felt the burn; it did nothing for me.”
Drinkwater came through the academy at Manchester United but didn’t make a senior appearance for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side amid loan spells to Huddersfield, Cardiff, Watford, and Barnsley, but his career took off when he signed for Leicester in 2012, helping them win promotion into the Premier League in 2014.
Drinkwater played a prominent part in Leicester’s miraculous Premier League title success under Claudio Ranieri in 2015-16, featuring in 35 of their 38 league games.
In March 2016, he won the first of three England caps in a friendly match against the Netherlands at Wembley but didn’t make Roy Hodgson’s squad for that year’s European Championship.
He played one more season at Leicester before Chelsea signed him for £35 million. However, he was never to play a prominent part there; his cause was not helped by injuries. He left Stamford Bridge upon the expiration of his Chelsea contract in June 2022.
Earlier this year, Drinkwater said he would be interested in a move to Saudi Arabia or rejoining Leicester following their relegation to the Championship, but Drinkwater has now decided to call time on his career.
Liverpool winger, Mohamed Salah, on Saturday, surpassed Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard’s goal record in the Premier League.
The Egyptian international achieved the feat after scoring a brace in Liverpool’s away Premier League 2-0 win against Bournemouth.
The match was played at the Vitality Stadium as Salah netted a penalty in the first half and another goal in the second half.
Salah’s two goals means, the former Chelsea and AS Roma star has now surpassed Lampard as 6th all time goal scorer in Premier League history.
The 32-year-old now has 178 Premier League goals with a goal ahead of Lampard, who now sit in 7th position on the all-time Premier League goal scorers chat.
He is, however, behind the likes of Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Andrew Cole and Sergio Aguero in the goal chat.
Salah has scored 21 goals for the Reds so far this season.
He could leave Liverpool in the summer as he is yet to sign a new deal.
His contract with Arne Slot’s side will expire at the end of the season.
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, on Friday announced the full match schedule for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nine venues will be used across six cities for the continent’s flagship soccer event.
Hosts Morocco will will take on Comoros in the competition’s opening game at the newly-built 69,500-seater Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat on Sunday, December 21.
The country’s capital, Rabat, will have four match venues.
Other host cities are Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Fes and Tangier, which will have one match each.
The four quarter-final fixtures will be played at the Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, as well as in Tangier, Marrakech and Agadir.
The semi-finals will be in Rabat and Tangier, with the third-place play-off set for the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.
52 matches will be played during the biennial competition.
The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire are the defending champions of the competition.
The draw for this season’s UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw has been conducted on Friday.
Eight teams have progressed straight to the round of 16 following the completion of the league phase.
They are Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.
They will all return to the competition in March, but others have more football to play before then.
The teams that finished between 9th and 24th, have a two-legged play-off to navigate in February.
FULL KNOCKOUT PHASE PLAY-OFF DRAW
Brest vs Paris-Saint Germain
Feyenoord vs AC Milan
Juventus vs PSV
Monaco vs Benfica
Man City vs Real Madrid
Celtic vs Bayern Munich
Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund
Club Brugge vs Atalanta
BREAKING: Senate approves termination of appointment of 3 Resident Electoral Commissioners
Tinubu Departs for France Ahead of AU Summit
Court jails two for N22.1m fraud in Maiduguri
Know The Airlines, Departure And Arrival Terminals In Lagos Airports By Ayodeji Awokunmi
Know the Airlines, departure, and arrival terminals in Lagos Domestic Airports
Dissecting Caritas CEO’S ‘Public Relations Thoughts And Deeds’ By Stanley Olisa
-
News1 week agoUvisuals Studios and Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation screens short film – LOTUS
-
News1 week agoFour arrested in Anambra for burning 74-yr-old woman to death
-
News1 week ago2027: I’m not against coalition – Peter Obi
-
News6 days agoLAGOS BEGINS 3-DAY FREE HIV TESTING AND COUNSELLING SERVICES IN 19 RIVERINE COMMUNITIES
-
Politics1 week agoOsun 2026: Aregbesola, political family dump APC
-
News1 week agoRemedy Yange, EFCC Operative, Dies Suddenly on Lagos Street
-
News1 week agoAfe Babalola withdraws suits against Farotimi
-
News1 week agoNAFDAC confiscates fake products worth over ₦5 bn, seals market in Aba