Former Real Madrid player Royston Drenthe has announced his retirement from football at the age of 36.
Drenthe was part of the Netherlands U-21 side that won the European Championship in 2007, beating England en route to the final. He was named the best player of the tournament.
In an interview for ESPN, Drenthe said that the time has come for him to end his career as a professional footballer.
“The fact that I understand that this is the end is something difficult to swallow”, Drenthe had initially said.
Next, he was asked about the next steps he will take in his life.
“I will think about it over the next week, but I don’t want to become a coach anyway. My focus now is to work on some television, new projects are coming”, he added.
Drenthe had a sensational career that saw him play for 15 different clubs in England, Holland, Spain, Turkey, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. He even retired from football in 2016, before returning to the field in 2018.
Some of the best moments of his career came during his time playing for Real Madrid, Everton, Reading and Sparta Rotterdam.
Drenthe had a life outside of football, developing a career as a rapper, actor, television expert, health worker, etc.
He had at one time admitted that he was not ready to become a footballer, saying that his lifestyle was a major obstacle in developing a career as a footballer.