Former Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand retires from football
Bertrand played over 200 games for Saints
Last updated 18th Jun 2024
Former Southampton and England defender Ryan Bertrand has announced his retirement.
The 34-year-old had not played for a club since leaving Leicester at the end of the 2022-23 season, when the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League.
Bertrand started his career at Gillingham, before moving to Chelsea's youth set-up and then spending time on loan with the likes of Norwich, Reading and Nottingham Forest.
The defender made 57 first-team appearances for Chelsea, including the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, which the Blues won on penalties.
After an initial loan spell, Bertrand made a permanent switch to Southampton during February 2015, playing more than 200 games for the Saints before moving to Leicester on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.
"It's been a little while, but I get asked a lot of questions, 'when are you coming back, what are you doing?', Bertrand said on Sky Sports. "So, just to make that official I am retiring and very much looking forward to the next steps."
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Southampton wished Bertrand "every success in retirement."
Bertrand won 19 senior England caps and was part of Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2016.