Monday 21 January 2019 13:16, UK
Former England international Glen Johnson has announced his retirement from professional football.
The 34-year-old has been without a club since being released by Stoke City at the end of last season.
Speaking on the Jim White show on talkSPORT, Johnson said: "Today is the day I'm officially saying I've retired.
"I knew halfway through last season I was going to call it a day. I always wanted to retire at an age where my body still felt good.
"Every player knows when their time is up. Mentally, I always wanted to stop quite young and also you can't always play the game the way you want to play the game when you're 34."
Johnson made his debut for England against Denmark in November 2003 and went on to make 54 appearances for his country, playing in two World Cups and a European Championship.
He came through the youth ranks at West Ham, and after making 15 Premier League appearances in 2002/03, he was bought by Chelsea.
Johnson won the Premier League and the League Cup during a four-year spell with the Blues.
He joined Portsmouth in the summer of 2007 and played a key role in helping them win the FA Cup that season.
The following season he was named in the PFA Team of the Year and that good form helped him earn a move to Liverpool in 2009.
He spent six seasons with the Reds, making 200 appearances and helping them to win the League Cup in 2011/12.
Johnson left Anfield to join Stoke in the summer of 2015. He spent three seasons with the Potters but left last summer following their relegation to the Championship.
In total, Johnson made 358 Premier League appearances for five different clubs and scored 15 goals.
