A EX-PREMIER LEAGUE youngster has been forced into retirement at the age of just 22.
Lars Dendoncker made the decision to hang up his boots after being diagnosed with a heart condition.
The former Brighton and Hove Albion prospect looked to have a promising future in the game having regularly featured for Belgium’s youth sides.
But after learning about his condition, he has decided not to risk his health and made his announcement with a heartfelt statement.
The defender took to Instagram to share his news with his 3k followers.
He wrote: “Hi everyone. Where do I start.
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“As a child, I only had one dream. Become a professional football player.
“But my professional career and dream has come to a very early end. Because of my heart condition, I have decided to stop playing because of my own health.
“This was and will be the hardest decision ever in my life. But there is no going back and I have to look in the future. This will take time to process.
“I’ve learned a lot throughout the years and had to sacrifice a lot. So this really hurts.
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“11 years at the academy of Club Bruges where I made a lot of friends.
“2 beautiful years with Brighton and a loan move to St. Johnstone where I made my professional debut.
“I want to thank all the players and staff that I have worked with. ❤️”
Dendoncker had been released by Brighton in May 2022 and has been without a club ever since.
He is the brother of Aston Villa and former Wolves star Leander Dendoncker.
Dendoncker is the second Brighton player to prematurely retire from football recently after Enock Mwepu hung up his boots in October 2022 as he was diagnosed with a rare hereditary heart condition.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
