Former Premier League champion Shinji Okazaki has introduced his retirement on the age of 37.
The Japanese ahead – who performed a distinguished function in Leicester City‘s title triumph of 2016 – has mentioned his “body is falling apart.” Okazaki joined Leicester from Bundesliga facet Mainz in 2015, making 39 appearances and scoring six objectives in the course of the odds-defying marketing campaign.
His performances earned him the Asian International Player of the Year award. In complete, Okazaki made 137 appearances for Leicester and scored 19 objectives earlier than shifting to Malaga in 2019. However, his contract in Spain was terminated after simply 34 days resulting from wage points.
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The Takarazuka native then performed for Huesca and Cartagena earlier than becoming a member of his present outfit, Belgian facet Sint-Truiden. But accidents have restricted Okazakito simply 5 appearances this season, resulting in his choice to retire, per the Daily Mirror.
“I have a report for you all. I have decided to retire after this season,” mentioned Okazaki. “I’ve been doing my best as a soccer player, but when I realized that my body was falling apart, I naturally felt I had reached my limits.
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“I feel that it was fate that I came to this club and that I decided to retire at this club. I hope we can talk about retirement again once the season is over. I will do my best to contribute to the team while aiming to return until the end of the season.
“I needed to be trustworthy with the individuals who help me, so I talked to the membership and allow them to announce it early. In the tip, I’ll do my finest for the individuals who supported me.”
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Okazaki final made an look in December, although that was for under 23 minutes in a Belgian Pro League defeat to RWD Molenbeek. At the tip of January, the attacker hinted his street to restoration had been robust.
“It’s been a bit after the new year, but Happy New Year everyone! Actually, I’ve been suffering from a slight knee injury since last year, and I’ve been back and forth between coming back and leaving,” he wrote on Instagram. “Although it’s been a bit tough, I’m thinking positively that this experience will definitely come in handy somewhere.
“As this yr begins, it’s going to nonetheless take me a little bit of time to return again. But I do not need to finish this season like this. I imagine that I can contribute to the staff and I’ll struggle till the tip of the season.”