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2024 was a harsh year for any football lover, as some top professionals said goodbye to the beautiful game.
Every career comes to an end - even in football. After every season, some professionals hang up their boots. Ran shows which footballers ended their active careers in 2024. It was a harsh year for any football lover. Football is, for many European countries, part of their culture. People come together to watch the games or spend time on https://22betcd.com/en_cd/ to bet on their favourite teams.
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Who left?
Andres Iniesta (without a club)
World champion, European champion, multiple Champions League winners, plus numerous national successes with FC Barcelona—Andres Iniesta (right) is not only one of the best midfielders but also one of the most decorated. In Japan and the Emirates, the football architect was paid handsomely before he ended his greatest passion in 2024, at least at an active, professional level.
Joel Matip (Liverpool FC)
After many years and significant development steps in Schalke's youth and first team, Joel Matip moved to the island in 2016 as a ready-made central defender. The German-Cameroonian was a mainstay at Liverpool FC for a long time, but he hardly played a role in the end and retired after the 2023/24 season.
Raphael Varane (Como 1907)
Long regarded as one of the world's greatest centre-backs, the France star never quite lived up to his expectations - but Raphael Varane was never far away. A regular at Real Madrid for over a decade, he gave in to the temptation of the island for a while longer. After just two months in the service of Como in Serie A, Varane had enough at the end of September 2024.
Ömer Toprak (unassigned)
He was once set to become the new centre-back at Borussia Dortmund after an impressive spell at Bayer Leverkusen. Ömer Toprak was never able to assert himself at BVB, after which things went downhill. Three years at Werder Bremen, including relegation and promotion, and a short stint at Antalyaspor later, the 35-year-old ended his career in mid-November.
Pepe (FC Porto)
The end! At 41, Pepe announced the end of his career via his social media channels. The rugged defender will go down in history as a Portugal and Real Madrid icon, winning the Champions League three times with the Whites. At Euro 2024, he broke the record for the oldest player to play in a European Championship. His contract with youth club FC Porto still needs to be renewed.
Thiago (unassociated)
Thiago is hanging up his boots after the end of his contract at Liverpool FC, as Fabrizio Romano reports. The 33-year-old played 46 international matches for Spain and won the Champions League twice at club level, among other honours. His future is also said to lie in football, and plans have been underway for months.
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Even superlatives are not enough to describe Toni Kroos' career. Starting as a youth player in Rostock, he travelled via FC Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen to Real Madrid in 2014. Since then, he has conducted the ‘white ballet’ like hardly anyone before him. The 34-year-old ended his unique career after the DFB team was knocked out of the European Championship.
Leonardo Bonucci (Fenerbahce Istanbul)
Leonardo Bonucci played for Union Berlin in the first half of last season, but after six months at Fenerbahce Istanbul, the Italian ended his career in the summer. Bonucci played 699 games for eight different clubs. The centre-back became Italian champion nine times, cup winner four times and European champion in 2021.
Marouane Fellaini (unassigned)
Known for his distinctive Afro, Marouane Fellaini whirled for years for Manchester United and Everton FC in the Premier League before disappearing into sporting insignificance in China. The 87-time Belgian international announced the end of his career back in February of this year.
Shkodran Mustafi (unassigned)
Most recently, Shkodran Mustafi was talked about more as a Premier League pundit on Sky than as an active footballer, and that says it all about the state of his career. Nevertheless, the 2014 World Cup winner had many successful years in professional football with Valencia FC and Arsenal FC, which he even captained at times, before deciding to call it a day in June 2024.
Ashkan Dejagah (without a club)
After being without a club since the summer of 2023, the 59-time Iranian international Ashkan Dejagah is ending his career. Coming from the youth ranks of Hertha BSC, he started his career at the capital city club before moving to VfL Wolfsburg. He went on to play for FC Fulham and Nottingham Forest, among others. In the end, he played 476 games and scored 130 goals.
Shinji Okazaki (VV St. Truiden)
Bundesliga fans will be familiar with Shinji Okazaki mainly because of his time at VfB Stuttgart and 1. FSV Mainz 05. However, he achieved tremendous success in the Premier League. The Japanese player was essential to Leicester City's surprise championship of the Foxes. After 587 games and 128 goals, the 38-year-old ended his career in Belgium with VV St. Truiden.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Real Betis Sevilla)
After 18 years and 575 games, it's over: Centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos is ending his career. The 35-year-old played a total of 189 games in the Bundesliga—most of them for Borussia Dortmund, where he won the DFB Cup, among other honours. In 2023, he moved to Betis Sevilla, the final stage of his career.
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