If you look at players who made a decision to retire and never play again, with their final club being Leicester City, you have a few and we have gone down Memory Lane to track them as we walk along.
One of the finest goalscorers in English fotball and also a Golden Boot winner, Kevin Phillips, played his last game in football while at Leicester City. Well into his early 40’s he made 12 appearances and scored 2 goals in that League Championship winning season back in 2013-14 and as we all know went on to coaching at LCFC and later moved on to other coaching positions in football.
Two of the players from that glorious 2015/16 season also had their swansong at Leicester City. Mark Schwarzer and Robert Huth both went into retirement playing their last game as a fox. Huth, a German internatonal, made huge impact when arriving at the club and played in total 68 league games and scored 5 goals. Mark Schwarzer kept Kasper on his toes and had the 2nd choice position at the club during that same season and his final games were also in a Leicester City shirt.
Matt Elliott had a glorious career at Leicester City, being captain and lifting that Worthington Cup trophy in 2000 scoring both goals in the final. Well into his mid 30’s he had to throw in the towel in the start of the 2004/05 season ending his tally on 245 league games in which he scored 26 goals.
Another hero of that Worthington Cup final, Tim Flowers, made his last appearance for Leicester City at Molineux Ground in 2003. In total 54 league games as a fox.
If we go back a number of years, some players decided to quit at an early age, one was local born central defender Malcolm Munro who had a place in the first team for a few seasons in the early 70’s. Munro was kept on the “clubs player list” until 1980, despite not playing a game in his last five years listed. It was said that the player emigrated to the Canada, but never was listed for a club over there, mysterious chapter in the Leicester City history books.
Bruno N’Gotty never reached his fame at Leicester City, but his last games in the professional game was played while at LCFC. He did turn out in 38 league games for Leicester City and it’s said that he continued to play at the 6th level in French football, but that must have been only for fun.
Dean Hammond who we all remember for his time as a midfielder at the club from 2013 to 2016, did move on to join Sheffield United, but never played a single game during his short “full spell” with The Blades. He did return to Leicester City in 2017 to help out as an overaged player in the U.23 set up, and indeed did a fine job, before making a decision to hang up his boots that summer.
Michael Ball who we all remember as a good right back at Everton and Man City did join Leicester City during the days of Svennis, and his last three appearances in football was as a fox, turning out in cup’s and never playing a single league game at the club.
Swizz international Bruno Berner played a number of seasons with Leicester City, mostly remembered for good performances during that 2008/09 season, winning promotion back to the 2nd tier. Berner retired from the game in March 2012.
Darren Eadie and Matthew Jones both made early retirements while with Leicester City due to injury troubles and problems. Eadie never appeared in football again, while Matthew Jones came out of retirement to play for semi-professional club Llanelli three years after leaving, finally hanging up his boots totally in 2009. Eadie and Jones were both record signings at Leicester City, joining from Norwich (Eadie) £3million and Leeds (Jones) £3.5million.
Roberto Mancini who surprisingly did sign for Leicester City late in his career, and in real finishing his career as a player in football at Filbert Street. Mancini played a few games before moving on to management at Fiorentina. At the time Garry Parker was in coaching staff at Leicester City, him also making his final league appearances as a fox, playing 114 games for the club from 1996 to his final retirement in 2001.
It might have been a few more, but these players all made their last appearances in a Leicester City shirt, all of them great players and fox servants.
- LCFC, retirements
- Goalkeepers
- Tim Flowers
- Mark Schwarzer
- Defenders
- Michael Ball
- Bruno N’Gotty
- Robert Huth
- Bruno Berner
- Matt Elliott
- Midfield
- Garry Parker
- Dean Hammond
- Darren Eadie
- Matthew Jones
- Forwards
- Roberto Macnini
- Kevin Phillips
- Goalkeepers
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