Glen Johnson Hangs Up His Boots

By Max Wise

Former Chelsea and Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has announced his retirement from football with immediate effect.

The 34-year-old former England international has been without a club since leaving Stoke City at the end of last season following their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship.

Johnson was the first signing for Chelsea under the Roman Abramovich era following a £6m move from West Ham and was part of Jose Mourinho’s title-winning side in the 2004/2005 season.

A move to Portsmouth at the start of the 2007/2008 season brought more silverware for Johnson as he played an integral role in their 2008 FA Cup success under Harry Redknapp.

Johnson transferred to Liverpool for £18m in June 2009 and was part of the Reds team that beat Cardiff City via penalty shootout to win the 2012 League Cup.

"Every player knows when their time is up. I always wanted to retire at an age where my body still felt good," the 34-year-old told Talksport.

"Mentally, I always wanted to stop quite young and also you can't always play the game the way you want to play the game when you're 34," he added.

"I knew halfway through last season I was going to call it a day."

With 54 international caps for England, Johnson is the Three Lions’ 7th most capped full-back, featuring in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups as well as the UEFA European Championships hosted by Poland and Ukraine in 2012.