I’m ex-Premier League star who made England squad, I was forced to retire at 29 after doctor told me never to run again

FORMER Swansea and Fulham star Alfie Mawson was heartbreakingly forced to retire through injury at just 29 years old.

The former Premier League defender even earned himself a place in the final England squad before the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

It was his winning goal against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool that secured a historic 1-0 victory for Swansea and saw him called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad.

But he suffered another tear on his knee before an FA Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday and missed out on selection for that year’s World Cup.

Mawson was forced to undergo knee surgery that summer – one of six operations on his lateral meniscus.

After Swansea’s relegation, a move to newly promoted Fulham offered a fresh start in the Premier League.

But his ongoing knee issues persisted.

Once Scott Parker replaced Claudio Ranieri, Mawson barely appeared again and instead was sent out on loan to Bristol City.

He told the Independent: “I’m quite outspoken so if I don’t agree with certain things, I’ll voice my opinion.

“I got comfortable with not being involved and not playing as much, which was annoying and sad, but there’s only so much you can do to put yourself forwards.”

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He failed a medical at another unnamed Championship club who had concerns about the longevity of his knee, and so returned to Wycombe.

Manager Gareth Ainsworth allowed Mawson to train once a week which enabled him to deliver great League One performances on the weekend.

But in January 2023, he was called to a face-to-face meeting by his knee surgeon to discuss his latest scan results.

Mawson said: “My doctor said I could show your knee to a hundred other knee surgeons and they’d say the same thing – that would be to retire.

“He was brutal. Originally when I went to meet him I was clinging on to a little bit of hope, some sort of injection to get me through to the summer and reassess. But I didn’t want him to lie.”

Once you leave this room then please, his doctor said, never run again.

He added: “It destroyed me to ultimately have to finish football.”

Mawson played over 300 senior games and was a £20million signing for Fulham in 2018.

Mawson’s professional career journey

Mawson joined Brentford in the summer of 2010 on a two-year scholarship before three consecutive loans to Maidenhead.

He joined Luton on loan for one season in 2013, before signing for Wycombe on a temporary basis a year later.

Barnsley secured him in 2015, where he scored six goals in 49 appearances and earned promotion to the Championship that season.

Mawson signed for Swansea in 2016 on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

But injury forced him into Fulham’s hands, before Bristol City and a return to Wycombe.

The talented defender retired in February 2023.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk