For supporters watching from the outside in, playing football seems like an absolute dream job.

Whether you’re playing for the local semi-professional side or you’ve made it all the way to the Premier League, you are living the life that most people would kill to live themselves by being played to play football.

There is a physical toll on the body that many people can’t see, however. As a result, some players decided to call it a day earlier than you might imagine they would.

It feels at the moment as though players are retiring earlier than they used to, with numerous reasons being in place for what that might be the decision they make.

Earning Enough Money to be Able to Call it a Day

The reality is that the money in professional football has been going up and up ever since the advent of the Premier League. Although countries like Spain, France and Portugal don’t have quite as much cash flowing around it as there is in England, those that make it to the top are still getting more than enough into the coffers to mean that they don’t need to punish their bodies if they feel as though they’re on the decline physically.

With players earning tens of thousands of pounds a week, if not hundreds of thousands, even those that play for lesser teams high up in the footballing pyramid earn more than most can dream of.

Reported wages per year:

Neymar – £32.5 million
Atalanta’s whole squad – £27 million#UCL pic.twitter.com/0EwuvJNAtg

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) August 12, 2020

When players have achieved what they want, there is now an ability to call it a day without being forced to carry on for financial reasons. Many can also turn to broadcasting as a way to make decent money after their retirement without having to put their bodies through pain and hard work.

Given the fact that the likes of Martin Keown and Robbie Savage are employed by the biggest broadcasters, it’s clear that actual ability is irrelevant. Instead, as long as someone has experience of playing at the highest level then the likes of Sky Sports, TNT Sport and the BBC are more than happy to employ them and pay them a good wage.

Injuries Take Their Toll

Players get injured. We know that that is the case and we see it week-in, week-out. In the past, they would be forced to simply get on with it, getting back on the pitch as soon as possible if they want to carry on being selected by the manager.

Nowadays, however, the advancements in medical science are such that the staff at clubs know exactly what is wrong with players and precisely what needs to be done to get them back playing. The more injuries a player suffers, the more the toll they take on their bodies and the longer it takes to recover from each knock or bruise that they pick up, which can eventually take its toll.

@bluetac13Worst injury ive ever seen pt.2😖😖♬ Mockingbird (Sped Up) – HIMEL

Managers don’t want to be lumbered with players that can’t play, so they will then stop being picked and their reputation will suffer as a result. You only have to look at the manner in which players like Naby Keïta have been thought of by the supporters of the clubs that they play for to realise that injuries have not just a physical impact but also a mental one on players.

Many will then choose to walk away from the game altogether rather than suffer dog’s abuse for having the temerity to be injured. The likes of Sergio Agüero and Thiago Alcantara had more to offer, but chose to walk away after being hit by one too many injuries.

Some are Too Proud to Play in Lower Leagues

There are some players that are more than happy to drop down the leagues as they age, with Gareth Barry being an example of one who was happy to swap life in the Premier League for one in the 12th tier of the English game, just so that he could continue to get his footballing fix.

Having joined Hurstpierpoint to train, he enjoyed it so much that he decided to come out of retirement in order to play for them. That, though, is very much the exception that proves the rule. For a lot of players, if they aren’t being picked by a Premier League team, having reach the height of the English top-flight, then they’re no point playing at all.

Of course, there are also a number of players who have been able to move to countries such as Saudi Arabia in order to try to extend their career, with the nation’s sports-washing project giving life to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo many years after he should’ve called it a day.

Similarly, American’s desire to see the Major League Soccer division grow has encouraged teams to spend large sums of money on players such as Lionel Messi, who is still going despite being past his best. Generally speaking, though, many players aren’t high-profile enough to be signed to play in such leagues nor carry on at the top, so retirement is the only thing that makes sense.