While football has produced yet another prodigious talent in the form of Barcelona's 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal, the sport has also waved goodbye to several icons this year! Here are six legendary players who retired in 2023.
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Gianluigi Buffon
Following a two-year spell at Parma, the club where his professional career started in 1994, the 176-cap Italy international called time on a memorable career earlier this month. The 45-year-old will go down in history as one of the game's greatest-ever goalkeepers after making 975 appearances at club level!
Cesc Fabregas
The former midfielder has finally decided to pursue a coaching career, thus bringing an end to his playing days. Fabregas announced he would be hanging up his boots in July this year after one season in Italy's Serie B with Como, whose U19 team he has since taken charge of to begin his new journey. Fabregas represented Arsenal on 303 occasions, Barcelona 151 times and amassed 198 appearances for Chelsea, and also claimed three major international trophies with Spain, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
David Silva
Best remembered for his glorious and trophy-laden 10-year spell at Manchester City, David Silva has retired from football due to a knee injury he sustained in the recent pre-season with Real Sociedad. While unlucky, football fans still got to see the Spanish legend play until he was 37 years old! The playmaker is widely regarded as one of the Premier League's best imports of all time after helping inspire the Citizens to 13 pieces of silverware before he returned to LALIGA in 2020.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Injuries unfortunately ended up forcing the 41-year-old to call it a day in June, two-and-a-half years after he returned to AC Milan, ending one of the most remarkable careers football has seen. Ibrahimovic boasts an incredible achievement of having scored in four different decades – from the 1990s to the 2020s – a feat that highlights the staggering longevity he displayed since bursting on to the scene in Sweden. One of the game's most iconic frontmen, the striker retired having netted on 573 occasions for club and country!
Mesut Ozil
While the latter stages of his career saw his playing time diminish rapidly, Ozil will always be revered and adored for his silky passing and deft touches, showcased perhaps best during his time at Real Madrid and early on at Arsenal. The 34-year-old decided to put his boots away in March following a difficult time in Turkey, but, on the list of football's greatest playmakers in history, Ozil should feature close to the top!
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Gareth Bale
It didn't take long after the 2022 FIFA World Cup for Bale to announce his retirement from the game, ending his career having achieved arguably his most cherished dream of all: representing Wales on the world stage. The final seasons of Bale's time at the top were a far cry from the devastation he caused defenders at Tottenham Hotspur and Real, but it is difficult to argue that he isn't one of Britain's most legendary players after he won five UEFA Champions League titles wearing the kit of perhaps football's most high-profile club.
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