FORMER West Ham and Bournemouth winger Junior Stanislas has announced his retirement from football.
The winger, 33, left Bournemouth in the summer after nine years at the club.
He had not featured for the Cherries since November last year due to injury.
And he has now confirmed to Sky Sports that he is hanging up his boots.
In an emotional interview, he said: “It’s something I’d been thinking about a lot to be fair before the season ended last year.
“But the time is right now to announce my retirement out to everyone so I can kind of move on and put it to bed really.”
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He went on to add: “The last couple of years I’ve had quite a few injuries.
“I’ve always had a couple of niggles throughout my career, missed games and stuff, but I think the last couple of years it’s been more consistent.
“Then had quite a bad back injury – slipped my disk – last year/the year before. Then tried to manage it which didn’t really clear up.
“So I think it’s a long time coming, but one I’ve made peace with a little while ago.”
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Stanislas, who came through West Ham’s academy, contributed 60 goals and 52 assists in 344 games during his club career.
He also earned two appearances for England’s U21s, but never received a cap for the senior side.
One of his most famous moments came in 2015 when he scored direct from a corner for Bournemouth in a 2-1 win over Manchester United.
His wicked delivery wrong-footed David de Gea as the ball looped over the keeper’s head and into the far top corner.
Stanislas’ only major trophy came in 2015 when he helped Bournemouth win the Championship title.
He was also part of Scott Parker’s squad that earned promotion last year, although he featured in just seven league games during the campaign.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
