James Collins: Former Wales and West Ham defender retires
Collins announced the news on Soccer AM on Saturday
Saturday 17 October 2020 14:19, UK
Former Wales and West Ham centre-back James Collins has retired from football.
Collins, who has not had a club since being released by Ipswich in May 2019, made the announcement on Soccer AM on Saturday.
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Asked if he was still looking for a new club, Collins told Soccer AM: "No, finished. Yeah, I'm all done. Retired.
"I wasn't going to say anything, I was going to float off and not say anything."
Collins earned 51 caps for Wales, scoring three goals, and was part of the squad for Euro 2016 when the side reached the semi-finals.
The 37-year-old started his club career with Cardiff City, before moving to West Ham and later Aston Villa.
Collins made 279 appearances in the Premier League and scored 11 goals in the top-flight.
He later posted a message to supporters on his Instagram, saying: "This will not come as a surprise to most people as I haven't played for a season now.
"But with a heavy heart I've decided to officially retire from football.
"After a lot of thought I believe this is the best thing to do so I can draw a line under my 20-year career and move on to my next chapter in life.
"I would like to thank all the players and fans at all the clubs I played for."
