Soccer

Former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger announces retirement

The classy defender had his return to boyhood side Brondby disrupted by injury woes

Daniel Agger, former captain of the Danish national team, announces his retirement at a press conference in Copenhagen. Photograph: EPA
Daniel Agger, former captain of the Danish national team, announces his retirement at a press conference in Copenhagen. Photograph: EPA
Thu Jun 09 2016 - 16:14

Former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has announced his retirement from football.

The ex-Denmark captain is quitting the game at the age of 31 after a professional career stretching back to 2004.

Agger moved to Anfield from boyhood club Brondby in 2006 and played 232 times for the Reds, winning the League Cup in 2012, and playing in the 2007 Champions League final defeat to AC Milan. Despite becoming a fans' favourite with his classy left-footed distribution, his time on Merseyside was beset by a number of injury problems. He returned to Brondby in 2014, where he again struggled for fitness.

“Thank you for your support. A great experience. It’s sad, but it is the right decision to stop. I’m proud of my career,” Agger, who won 71 caps for Denmark, tweeted alongside an image of the football shirts of the clubs he has represented.