ALFIE MAWSON has retired from football at the age of 29.
The Wycombe defender made the decision to hang up his boots after a series of knee injuries.
Mawson played over 300 senior games and was a £20million signing for Fulham in 2018 after impressing at Swansea City.
However his time at Craven Cottage was hampered due to injuries as he only made 46 appearances in four seasons.
He even managed to break into the England set-up that year, but failed to get an any game time.
Speaking to the Wycombe website, Mawson said: “It might come as a shock to some people, but to me, it’s been coming for a while.
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“After speaking to the specialists, to my family and to the gaffer, I’ve come to the difficult decision to retire.
“I had some time off around Christmas after feeling some pain in my knee and the pain hasn’t gone away.
“I went for a scan and unfortunately, the damage was done.
“It’s devastating, but it’s how life goes.
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“I’ve done what I wanted to achieve and to go out with a win and a clean sheet in my last game was a nice way to end it.
“I will always be a Wycombe fan. I don’t want to just to say goodbye and leave, because I owe this club so much and I will miss the boys.
“Words can’t do this club justice and what the staff have built here is incredible. I want to stay amongst the boys and be a shoulder to lean on and offer advice and knowledge.
“I knew this day was going to come – it’s just sooner than I had hoped. But there’s a lot worse things going on in the world and that makes you realise that at the end of the day, it’s a job. I’ve loved it and it’s been a hell of a journey.
“I’ve dedicated my life to it and I’ll be forever grateful to the people that helped make that possible.”
Mawson joined Wycombe at the start of the season and had made 20 appearances for the club.
It was his second time at the club after he enjoyed a loan spell at the club in 2014.
Chairboys boss Gareth Ainsworth said: “We always knew in those early days he had the ability and the character to be able to play at the highest level, and he worked so hard to achieve his dream.
“He is living proof that hard work, determination and dedication will help you succeed, and that’s such a brilliant legacy for him to leave in the game.
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“I know Alfie will always be able to look back with pride at his career and it’s a real shame that it’s been cut short a lot sooner than anyone might have hoped.
“However, he has been a real inspiration to young footballers who will come up against challenges throughout their career, and he is living proof that hard work, determination and dedication will help you succeed, and that’s such a brilliant legacy for him to leave in the game.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
