JACK WILSHERE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Former England and Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has decided to retire from professional football. The 30-year-old announced the news on Friday.
In a statement on Twitter, Jack said: “It has been an unbelievable journey filled with so many incredible moments and I feel privileged to have experienced all that I did during my career. From being the little boy kicking a ball around in the garden to captaining my beloved Arsenal and playing for my country at a World Cup. I have lived my dream.”
Wilshere spent the last half of last season abroad after signing for Danish side AGF Aarhus in February of 2022. The Stevenage-born midfielder has decided to hang up his boots after battling through most of his career, especially in recent years, with a number of injuries.
“In truth, it has been difficult to accept that my career has been slipping away in recent times due to reasons outside of my control whilst feeling that I have still had so much to give. Having played at the very highest level I have always held such huge ambitions within the game and if I am truthful I did not envisage being in this position at times. However, having had time to reflect and talk with those closest with me, I know that now is the right time and despite the difficult moments I look back on my career with great pride at what I have achieved.”
“Playing at the very highest level with some of the best players in the world, winning FA Cups, captaining my club and representing my country were beyond my wildest dreams when I was a small boy growing up in Hitchin. I feel very fortunate to have had the career I’ve had but none of it would have been possible if it wasn’t for the love and support of so many people.”
Wilshere broke onto the scene at just 16 years old in 2008 after rising through Arsenal’s academy program and was the youngest ever Arsenal Premier League debutant, a record that had previously been held by former Arsenal captain, Cesc Fabregas. Alongside his 34 appearances for the English national team that included 2 goals, Wilshere made 197 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 14 times. Although not a natural scorer, the midfielder was a magician with the ball at his feet and was lauded for his work rate and ability that allowed others to thrive around him.
Wilshere’s 10-year-spell at Arsenal came to an end in 2018, albeit coming after several seasons spent on loan at both Bolton and Bournemouth. Wilshere then later made a permanent move to East London with West Ham United where injuries limited him to just 19 appearances in three seasons for the Hammers. A short spell with Bournemouth then came along in the 2020/21 season before Jack tried his luck abroad.
Jack left heartfelt words for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, and the club’s supporters: “Words will never do justice to the love and thanks I have for the boss, Arsene, Pat Rice, and Boro Primorac. Without your belief, support, and guidance from the very first day we met I wouldn’t have been able to become part of the Arsenal family. I’m forever grateful to you all. A huge thank you to the board, management, and everyone else connected with Arsenal FC. Having joined the club at the age of 7 years old you’ve become my extended family and thank you for everything.”
“To the best supporters on the planet, all of you Arsenal fans, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. To play for you all has been a privilege. You’ve always made me feel supported and I hope I did you proud representing your club. I’ll never forget how you always backed me and I’ll forever be a Gooner.”
Arsene Wenger said concerning Wilshere’s retirement: “Well, for me, it’s a sad moment because Jack is an exceptional football player. He, firstly, should not thank us, but himself because he was brave. He was talented. He wasn’t scared of anybody that’s why we thought he could start at such a young age. He started in 2008. He’s a ’92 so that means he was 16 years old and that’s of course exceptional at that level. And straight away he showed he had the quality to be a main player.”
“He stops in 2022 at 30 years of age. That for a midfielder and a technical player is a fantastic age and that sums up a little bit what Jack’s career was; exceptional talent but didn’t play enough games because of injuries. That’s why in the end I think he stopped. It’s very different when you’re a star like he was and you cannot play at your best anymore, that’s very difficult to swallow and you lose confidence. I think he took the right decision.”
“I believe as well that there’s a coaching career in front of him. The fact that he couldn’t go to, maybe, the end of his potential might help him to be motivated, to have a great coaching career. That’s what I wish.”
Wilshere spent the last year getting his coaching badges and is set to begin a job coaching the Arsenal U18s following the departure of Dan Micciche to Crawley. Wilshere met with former teammate Per Mertesacker to discuss a coaching role at Arsenal last week after Danish media reported that the class of ’92’s Salford City had offered Jack a route playing full-time in England. Salford City FC is owned by former Manchester United legends and Class of ’92 academy graduates Gary and Phil Neville, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, and Paul Scholes and competes in League Two.
“First of all, he has a great understanding of the game,” Wenger said of the midfielder’s coaching ability. “I feel like the midfield position is a position that suits well the development of a coach. After that, he’s brave. He has good communication skills. He’s honest, intelligent. And on top of that, he certainly finishes his career frustrated. If he manages to transform that frustration into motivation, to show how good he is in football, he can have a promising career as a coach.”
The move to appoint Wilshere as the U18s coach continues Arsenal’s culture of integrating former players into the club; former club captain Mikel Arteta is the club manager, former midfielder Edu Gaspar is the club’s technical director, Per Mertesacker, also a former club captain is the Arsenal academy manager.
Wilshere remarked “I have enjoyed every moment of my career and it has been the journey of a lifetime. Now is the right time to close this chapter but I still have so much to give to the game and I am excited about what the future holds.”
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: AFC Bournemouth. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.