Former England striker Peter Crouch announced his retirement on Friday after more than two decades as a professional player.
The former Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Stoke City last season spent in Burnley but his contract ended last month.
Crouch, 38, played 42 games for England from 2005 to 2010
and scored 22 goals in two World Cups and reached the Champions League final and won the FA Cup with Liverpool.
“If you tell me at the age of 17 that I will be in the World Cup and get into the final of the Champions League and win the FA Cup and score 100 goals in the Premier League, I would have avoided you at all costs,” Crouch wrote on Twitter.
“It’s a dream that has turned into a reality … Our wonderful sport has given me something …
I would like to thank all who helped me get to where I am now and stay for a long time.”
Peter Crouch hoped to continue his career as a player but found it difficult to accept the role of the assistant.
“My ambition was to play until I was 40 years old, so it was terrifying to say ‘quit’,” he wrote.
“It was hard to accept the transition from a player who was basically a fixture to a player whose role was limited to 10
to 15 minutes as an alternative.”
