Joe Calzaghe Quotes

You know, even though I feel that I can still play the game, God has made the answer clear to me. Retirement is now. I have to retire as a Green Bay Packer.

No athlete ever ends his or her career the way you want to. We all want to play forever. But it doesn't work that way. Accepting the end gracefully is part of being a professional athlete.

After much deliberation I have made the decision to retire from playing international football.

I think you always hope you can play forever, but you always realize that time will come... I was fortunate I was able to make a decision, move on and do it comfortably.

The money doesn't interest me. I'm not enjoying MotoGP, and I'm retiring.

Even when I retired, there was part of me that didn't want to retire. But once you decide it's time to move on then you have to stick with it.

I can remember the day I decided I would retire from competitive athletics as vividly as if it were yesterday.

Getting past 30 as a sportsman, the end could be just around the corner.

When I retired in 1994, I was never tempted to drop down the divisions to carry on playing. In fact, I never kicked a ball again, not even in a charity match.

A sort of sadness shall always remain in my mind that I was not allowed to retire while playing, but anyway, it's all a part of life for a sportsman who, while playing, never realises when he should retire, but he starts thinking about it when he is dropped.

Retiring from international football was a personal decision, and I was very sure about what I was doing. I played for my country for more than ten years, and there were highs and lows. It was a fantastic experience, though, and the most wonderful thing is that it ended well.

It's terrible to consider never playing another Test again but what's more terrifying is the thought of never playing again at all.

It was tough to quit football. But after I was injured, I didn't want people paying money to see only half a John Matuszak.

The end of my playing career was May 28, 2017. That, for me, was an historic day. I'll carry it with me forever. It will be hard to explain to people the feelings and emotions I felt that day.

Unfortunately, everyone's football career does come to an end.

You're never prepared for the end of a career.

As a professional player, I consider my career closed, but I don't want to exclude the possibility in the future that I may return, but not as a player.

I am coming to the part of my career where I want to play more football.

I'm not wrestling anymore. I'm out of that part of my career.

The first time I retired, only Sir Alex Ferguson and I knew that the last league game of the 2010-11 season against Blackpool was to be my final game at Old Trafford. I was a little bit sad, but I am not one for tears. The end of a career comes to us all, and there is not a lot you can do about that.

Professional athletes die twice.

Sport is the only profession I know of that when you retire you have to go to work.

I was always a good athlete. I just gave up on football.

The practice days, the walkthroughs, the bus rides - all those things you can't come back to. When you are getting into Year 15, you think about it. This thing is going to come to an end at some point.

When you're in sports, you have such a limited time and then, it's all over with, finished.