5 footballers who retired this season

After the conclusion of league seasons in Europe and around the world, some players would have played professional football for the final time. Retirement is something which each and every footballer has to go through.

With the game evolving every season and the players getting older day by day, there comes a time when the footballer has to call it quits. The moment when the footballer announces his retirement, it is an emotional moment not only for the players but also for the fans.

Having spent more than half of their life playing the beautiful game, it is not easy to say goodbye. The fact that from the next day onwards, there will be no training drills, no weekend matchdays and no European nights is a sight feard by every footballer.

But every beautiful career has to come to an end and this season is no different. Hence we look at 5 footballers who will retire at the end of the 2019 season.

#5 Peter Cech

Peter Cech played his final game in a 4-1 loss to Chelsea in the UEFA Europa League Final

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech played his final game before retirement in the Europa League final against his former club Chelsea in Baku on 29 May. It marks the end of a trophy-laden 20-year career for the 37-year-old, who moved to London in 2004 from French club Rennes.

Cech won the Premier League's Golden Glove for the most clean sheets 4 times and was included in PFA's team of the year twice. He made 494 appearances for Chelsea, the most by any overseas player. Cech won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, a Europa League, and the Champions League, with the 2012 final arguably his finest moment in blue.

Cech moved across London to join Arsene Wenger's Arsenal in 2015 after losing his place at Stamford Bridge, adding an FA Cup winners medal to an already impressive collection while registering 40 clean sheets from his 110 Premier League appearances for the Gunners.

He also kept 220 clean sheets in his Premier League career, the most by any keeper and he also holds the record for the most clean sheets in a single season during 2004-05.

Cech might have conceded 4 goals in his final game against his former club in the Europa League final but one can't argue that he is one of the greatest Premier League keepers alongside Peter Schmeichel.

#4 Andrea Barzagli

Barzagli is generally considered as one of Italy's finest defenders

In April 2019, Barzagli announced his decision to retire from football at the end of the current season. The 38-year-old made his professional debut with semi-professional side Rondinella in 1998.

Barzagli made his Serie A debut with Chievo in 2003 and eventually came to prominence while playing for Palermo. In 2008, he was signed by the German side Wolfsburg, where he remained for two and a half seasons, winning a Bundesliga title in 2009.

In 2011, Barzagli returned to Italy, joining Juventus, where he later won eight consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2019 including four consecutive Coppa Italia titles between 2015 and 2018. Alongside Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, Barzagli has been a part of one of the most celebrated defenses in Italian football history.

Considered a "late-bloomer", he stood out in Italy and in Europe in recent years, due to his marking, intelligence, aerial prowess, and tackling ability, as well as his correct behaviour, capacity to read the game, and his adeptness in one on one situations.

These attributes enabled him to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the world and was voted to the Serie A Team of the Year for three consecutive seasons, which made him an important member of both his club and national sides.

#3 Yaya Toure

Yaya Toure has been regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time

Former Manchester City, Barcelona and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure retired from the game after having his contract terminated by Greek side Olympiakos this season. Toure aspired to be a striker during his youth but played as a center-back for Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final.

Toure spent the majority of his career as a box-to-box midfielder for club and country, where he has been regarded as one of the world's best players in his position. One of the greatest African players of all time, Touré was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Toure's key strengths were his passing range, vision, and physical ability. He was gifted with good technique and ball control, although he also excelled defensively at breaking down opposing attacking plays and winning back possession through his powerful tackling ability.

Toure was known for his pace, stamina and physical presence, which was often combined with lung-bursting runs from midfield, and he has been referred to as a "human train" and a "colossus" by various pundits. He was also capable of scoring goals due to his powerful striking ability from distance, and his heading ability, as well as his recently developed adeptness at scoring from set-pieces and penalties.

Yaya Toure might have seen his career end on a low, but his agent recently said that Toure plans to enter the coaching world and given that he was such a technical player, there are high hopes that he will have a highly successful managerial career.

#2 Robin Van Persie

Van Persie is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation.

Robin Van Persie will always be remembered as a footballing legend and the guy who scored that header against Spain in the 2014 World Cup. A record goalscorer of all time for the Dutch National side, he is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation.

He made his senior debut with Feyenoord in the 2001-02 campaign in which he ended up winning the UEFA Cup Final and was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year. He joined Arsenal in 2004 for £2.75 million as a long-term replacement for compatriot Dennis Bergkamp.

After being named as Arsenal's captain in 2011, Van Persie joined Manchester United next season. Van Persie fell out of favour at Manchester United and he was allowed to leave for Fenerbache in 2015 only to return to Feyenoord in January 2018 for a free transfer and won the Dutch Cup, his first trophy since 2013's FA Community Shield.

Van Persie was a set piece specialist and a vast number of his assists came from both corners and freekicks. He was also a proven direct freekick taker who scored regularly for his club and country. He started as a winger but was converted by Wenger into a No. 9 after the departure of Henry to Barcelona.

A role model for a lot of young footballers around the globe, Van Persie's presence of the pitch will be severely felt.

#1 Xavi Hernandez

Xavi is considered as one of the greatest midfielders of all time

Generally considered as one of the greatest midfielders of all time alongside Zidane and Pirlo, Xavi was part of Spain's golden generation that won 2 Euros and a World Cup in a span of 4 years.

Xavi joined La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, at age 11, and made his first-team debut against Mallorca in August 1998. In all, he played over 700 matches, a club record, and scored 85 goals. Xavi was the first player in the club's history to play 150 European and Club World Cup matches. Xavi was viewed as being the embodiment of the tiki-taka passing style of play.

With Barcelona, Xavi won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League titles. He has won 31 trophies for Barcelona and Spain, a total only surpassed by Iniesta as the most decorated Spanish player in history. He came third in the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, followed by third place for its successor award, the FIFA Balon d'Or, in 2010 and 2011.

Xavi's vision, pinpoint accurate passing and world-class ball control allowed him to dictate the flow of play while rarely relinquishing possession. His ability to control matches earned him the nickname, "The Puppet Master". His on-field partnership with Iniesta is generally considered as one of the all-time great partnerships in world football.

On 28 May 2019, it was announced that Xavi would take over as manager of Al-Sadd on a two-year contract. Xavi has never hidden his desire to coach Barcelona and with some managerial experience under his belt, we could expect Xavi in the Barcelona dugout in a few years time.