Phil Jagielka, the former England, Everton and Sheffield United defender, has announced his retirement from football at the age of 41. Jagielka enjoyed a 23-year playing career, making over 750 appearances at club level and winning 40 caps for England.
Jagielka started his career at Sheffield United, where he made his debut in 2000 under manager Neil Warnock. He helped the Blades earn promotion to the Premier League in 2006 and scored a memorable penalty in the shootout against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final that year.
He also had two stints as a goalkeeper for Sheffield United, saving a penalty from Danny Dichio against Millwall in 2004 and keeping a clean sheet against Arsenal in 2006 after Paddy Kenny was injured.
Jagielka joined Everton in 2007 for £4m and spent 12 years at Goodison Park, becoming the club captain and a fan favourite. He made 385 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 19 goals, including a stunning volley against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby in 2014.
He also played a key role in Everton's run to the FA Cup final in 2009, where they lost to Chelsea, and their Europa League campaign in 2014-15, where they reached the last 16.
Jagielka returned to Sheffield United in 2019, helping them secure a ninth-place finish in the Premier League in his first season back. He left the club in 2020 after their relegation and joined Stoke on a one-year deal, making 18 appearances for the Potters in the Championship.
Jagielka also represented England at international level, earning his first cap in 2008 against Trinidad and Tobago. He scored three goals for the Three Lions, including a late equaliser against Italy in a friendly in 2015.
He was part of the England squads for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, playing in three games at the latter tournament in Brazil. His last appearance for England was in 2016 against Iceland in the Euro 2016 round of 16, where England suffered a shock defeat.
Jagielka told Sky Sports that he was proud of his career and grateful for the opportunities he had. He said: "I'm super proud of myself to play at 40. If you'd have sat me down as a 15 or 16-year-old kid after being told I wasn't good enough and then fast forward telling me I'd scored at 40, played at 40 and had the career I've had then I don't think I can have too many complaints."
He also thanked Warnock for giving him his chance and praised Everton for their impact on his life. He said: "It was the first time I was away from home as a young man trying to make a career and Neil Warnock was that guy who gave me an opportunity. Everton means a hell of a lot to me. I spent 12 years there and it was a massive part of my life."
Jagielka said he was not sure if he would go into coaching or not, but he planned to play a lot of golf in his retirement. He said: "I always said that when I retired it was going to be golf, golf, golf! But I'm just going to take a bit of time out."
