"Time for me to retire from football": IShowSpeed apologizes to fans for his performance at the Match For Hope

Darren "IShowSpeed" participated in the Match For Hope football charity game in Qatar on February 23, but his performance was not up to the mark. Unlike the Sidemen Charity match, the Match For Hope comprised some legendary footballers such as Kaka, Roberto Carlos, Didier Drogba, David Villa, Eden Hazard, and more. Naturally, the competition was higher than what Darren was used to.

However, he missed some very easy chances to score, especially in the first half when he managed to mess up a simple goal after Hazard passed him the ball in a way that gave him an open net. Even in the locker room during half-time, IShowSpeed looked very dejected and posted about retiring from football on his official X account after the match.

Even though his team won, the YouTuber wrote:

"i think it’s time for me to retire from football"

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"Keep your head up": Fans react as IShowSpeed says he will quit football after the Match For Hope debacle

As mentioned before, while he did meet some of the most legendary footballers of all time, by performing poorly in the match, IShowSpeed had let himself down. Just after the match, he directly addressed his viewers while streaming from the pitch in Qatar and formally apologized to his fans.

The YouTuber even claimed that he would be quitting football:

"Sorry, I apologize. I am sorry you all. I am quitting football, alright you all? I am quitting, that's it. I think I am done with this football sh*t. I think I am done you all."

This is not the first time IShowSpeed has talked about never playing football. The streamer had similarly "retired" from the game back when he had quite a bad day at the latest Sidemen Charity match, where he missed a penalty against his footballing rival KSI. However, the streamer had recently announced that he would not be retiring and took inspiration from his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.

That said, he did cry on camera during the post-match interview after the anchor asked him why he did not play like Ronaldo on the pitch.

Fans have rallied behind the 19-year-old streamer, praising him for playing over 60 minutes despite his recent leg injury. For those who don't know, he was walking with the help of crutches over the last couple of days. Here are some general reactions to his post on X and the clips that have gone viral, with a few trolls roasting the YouTube streamer.

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IShowSpeed had a fair few good moments during the Match For Hope event as well, with the YouTuber engaging in banter with people such as Didier Drogba, Arsene Wenger, and even Robert Carlos.