Wayne Routledge: Former Swansea winger announces retirement from playing

Wayne Routledge announces his retirement from playing at 36 years old; the winger spent 10 years at Swansea but turned down a new one-year deal after working his way back from knee surgery in the summer; Routledge made over 300 appearances for the Welsh club after joining from Newcastle

By PA Media

Image: Wayne Routledge has called time on his playing career

Former Swansea winger Wayne Routledge has called time on his playing career.

Routledge, 36, who spent the last 10 years at Swansea, turned down the offer of a new one-year contract by the Welsh club in the summer after working his way back from knee surgery.

The former Crystal Palace forward revealed in August he had played his last game for Swansea, but did not say what the future held.

Routledge confirmed his retirement in a social media post which said: "It's time... Retirement is a strange word, when all you know is this!

"It's made me who I am today. Thank you all!"

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In the second leg of last season's Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final against Barnsley, Routledge sustained a serious knee injury.

He made over 300 appearances for Swansea in all competitions, scoring 33 goals, after joining the club from Newcastle for an undisclosed fee in 2011.

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Routledge began his career at Palace, for whom he made over 120 appearances in all competitions, making his Football League debut in the old First Division aged 16 against West Brom in 2001.

A move to Tottenham followed in 2005, but he made only five first-team appearances for the club in two-and-a-half years, during which he had loan spells at Portsmouth and Fulham.

The former England Under-21 international also had spells at Aston Villa and QPR, returning to join the latter on loan in 2011 and also had a temporary spell at Cardiff in 2008-09.

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