FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER Peter Crouch has announced his retirement from football at the age of 38 after two decades as a professional.
The much-travelled Crouch, who spent the second half of last season at Burnley, made his English league debut in 2000 at QPR and also played for Liverpool, Tottenham and Stoke.
He made his England debut against Colombia in May 2005 and went on to play 42 times for the Three Lions, scoring 22 goals.
The forward, who is a towering 2.01 metres tall, confirmed his retirement on Twitter, writing: “After a lot of deliberation this summer I have decided to retire from football! Our wonderful game has given me everything.
“I’m so thankful to everyone who helped me get there and to help me stay there for so long.
“If you told me at 17 I’d play in World Cups, get to a Champions League final, win the FA Cup and get 100 Premier League goals I would have avoided you at all costs.
It’s been an absolute dream come true.”
Former England striker Alan Shearer wrote on Twitter: “Congrats big man, a brilliant career and good luck going forward.”
Current England players Harry Maguire and Jack Butland, a teammate of Crouch’s during his time at Stoke, also paid tribute to the striker.
Maguire wrote: “Incredible career. Enjoy retirement.”
Butland added: “Been an honour to play and share a dressing room with you big man @petercrouch best of luck in the next stage of your career.”
Crouch played at the 2006 World Cup and scored his first competitive goal for England during a 2-0 group-stage victory against Trinidad and Tobago. He was also selected for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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the guys on fire. fair play.
@Ardmore02: standard is slipping , needs to be more consistent
@Ardmore02: mistimed it today, but seeing how from how far back he came to get second, shows he’s better legs than the rest if he gets the timing right
So where does this leave him in the standings overall?
@Stephen Keane: 93rd
@Stephen Keane: Just checked it Stephen he is 93rd, he must of had a few lie ins for the earlier stages
@Stephen Keane: he’s 2nd in the points race. Excellent showing so far
@Stephen Keane: he’s a sprinter and not a GC contender. He’s 2nd in the running for the maglia ciclamino, the Giro’s version of the green jersey.