Former England international centre-back, Phil Jagielka, has officially announced his retirement from all football with immediate effect at the age of 41.
Enjoy retirement, @PJags06! Congratulations on a fantastic career. ????????pic.twitter.com/W1IB7T9roX
— Everton (@Everton) November 28, 2023
The Sale-born defender has been without a club since he was released by Stoke City at the end of last season after making 47 appearances for The Potters since joining the club mid-way through the 2021/22 season.
In a post on the social media site, Instagram, Jagielka said: “All good things coma to an end and after just over 800 appearances my playing career is done. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would get to play football at the highest level for some amazing clubs as well as my country. It’s been an absolute honour to step onto the grass for every match and I have so many people to thank for that.”
Jagielka’s youth career began at the age of 16 in 1998 with Sheffield United and he eventually became a professional for The Blades in 2000.
He spent seven seasons with United, helping them gain promotion to the Premier League in 2006. He moved onto Everton in 2007 for a fee believed to be in the region of £4 million.
He was made captain of The Toffees in 2013 and eventually ended up making 385 appearances for the club in a 12-year spell at Goodison Park. He returned to Sheffield United for two seasons in 2019, making a further 16 Premier League appearances – making it 376 in the top-flight in total; putting him 57th on the all-time list.
He joined Derby County at the start of the 2021/22 campaign before his aforementioned move to Championship rivals Stoke City later that season.
Internationally, Jagielka scored three goals in 40 caps for England and was a part of The Three Lions’ squad at UEFA EURO 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he started England’s defeats to Italy and Uruguay in Brazil.