Ledley King was forced to retire from professional football in 2012 at the age of 31 after being told he could end up in a wheelchair in his 30s if he kept playing
Ledley King was warned he could be confined to a wheelchair by his 30s unless he retired early. The former Tottenham and England defender called time on his career in 2012 at the age of 31.
King is a legend in one corner of north London, having dedicated his entire 13-year playing career to Spurs. During that period, he also represented the Three Lions on 21 occasions, a figure that would likely have been significantly higher had it not been for recurring injuries.
The 45-year-old battled knee issues throughout much of his Premier League stint and shortly before making the decision to retire, medical professionals warned him that continuing to play could leave him wheelchair-bound.
“It was 2012 and funnily enough for the first part of the season I felt as good as I’d felt in a long time,” said King, speaking on In The Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet.
“I was doing well. I’d played 11 or 12 games and not lost any. But I was training the day before a game and had a clash with a goalkeeper. My knee just blew up.
“I was out for about three weeks and they ended up taking fluid out of my knee. They were taking loads out and we were set to play Manchester City.
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“I really had no business playing but they took out all the fluid and I came back for that game. We were 2-0 down and brought it back to 2-2, but I gave away a penalty. That was the beginning of the end.
“I never felt the same after that injury. I played around 11 or 12 more games, played a total of 23 games that season. Normally when you finish you play three or four games. I played 23.
“But it was the quality. In the second half of the games I was playing, the quality was just not there. I couldn’t move. And for the first time, I didn’t enjoy football. I felt like I wasn’t helping my team.
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“So at the end of that season I sat down with my surgeon and he basically said, ‘You’re going to end up in a wheelchair in your 30s if you keep trying to push it.
“Judging by the way it felt and what he said I knew it was time. It was tough. It’s always tough when you retire, stop doing something, when you stop doing what you’re doing.
“I never really allowed myself to think about retirement because I was just constantly fighting to keep going. I never mentally prepared for it.
“I thought I was like RoboCop or something, just keep going, you know?’Keep going, keep going every year. Find a way to play.’ But it was tough.”
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