Former Chelsea and England defender Ryan Bertrand hangs up his boots
Former Chelsea, Southampton, and England defender Ryan Bertrand has announced his retirement from football, after 18 years in the game.
The 34-year-old had not played for a club since leaving Leicester at the end of the 2022-23 season, when the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League.
Bertrand started his career at Gillingham, before moving to Chelsea's youth set-up and then spending time on loan with the likes of Norwich, Reading and Nottingham Forest.
The defender made 57 first-team appearances for Chelsea, including the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, which the Blues won on penalties.
After an initial loan spell, Bertrand made a permanent switch to Southampton during February 2015, playing more than 200 games for the Saints before moving to Leicester on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.
"It's been a little while, but I get asked a lot of questions, 'when are you coming back, what are you doing?', Bertrand said on Sky Sports. "So, just to make that official I am retiring and very much looking forward to the next steps."
Bertrand won 19 senior England caps and was part of Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2016.