5 world-class football players who retired early

#2 Eric Cantona - 30 years

Cantona's retirement at 30 was a shocker for many

Though most of his club career was filled with spats, suspensions and bans, his style of play has inspired many to play football at a higher level. The work rate that this Frenchmen had was something that no one can match. His disciplinary issues aside, the passion that Cantona showed for the game was yet something that made the sport even more beautiful.

But it was due to his passion, rather the lack of it, which forced him to retire from the game. For many, it was simply that the number of controversies that he had played an important role in his decision, but for Cantona, it was simply his lack of interest that he had developed, and thus, in 1997, he retired at the age of 30.