German midfielder and 2014 world cup winner, who is also an ex-Chelsea player, Andre Schurrle has retired from professional football, at the age of 29.
Andre Schurrle made the shocking announcement, on his social media account on Friday, 17th July 2020. He made a post of himself on his Instagram page, holding up the FIFA world cup trophy he won with the German national in 2014.
Before his social media post on Friday, he he had appeared in an interview with German publication Spiegel, where he confirmed his exit from the game and revealed, and admitting the personal struggles that come with life as a footballer had started to take their toll. ‘The depths became deeper and the highlights less and less.
‘The decision has matured in me for a long time,’ said Schurrle.
‘Only performance on the field counts, in which vulnerability and weakness must never exist,’ he added, hinting of the strains that life in the spotlight can bring to an individual who is constantly expected to perform.
‘You always have to play a certain role to survive in the business, otherwise you will lose your job and you won’t get a new one.’ he said.
“Hi all,
I want to let you know that I’m stepping away from playing professional football!!
On behalf of myself and family, I want to thank everybody who was a part of these phenomenal years!
The support and love you shared with me was unbelievable and more I could have ever asked for.
Now I’m ready and open for all the beautiful possibilities that are coming towards me,” he added.
Schurrle has featured for some of Europe’s most decorated sides, including Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.
It was Schurrle who provided the assist for Mario Gotze during the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, in which an extra-time goal crowned Germany champions.
Andre Schurrle had before now complained about some health issues he has been facing, but he did not mention any of such in his statement on Friday. But he was been receiving messages of goodwill from all his fans and teams he has played for before now.