Former Liverpool star painfully announces retirement from football aged 36

• Lucas Leiva was in tears as he announced his retirement from football aged 36
• The former Liverpool star was forced into retirement because of a heart condition
• Leiva’s last club is Gremio, based in his home country Brazil

Former Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva could barely hold back his tears as he announced his retirement from football.

Leiva made the announcement in an emotional press conference on Friday, March 17 where he revealed ‘his health comes first’.

Reports from the BBC and The Mirror indicate the Brazilian, aged 36, was forced to retire because of a heart condition.

Medical experts reportedly advised him to call it quits on his lucrative football career after a follow-up test on an issue that was initially detected in December in pre-season with his boyhood club Gremio.

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"I can only be thankful for the career I built," Leiva posted on his social media.

"The day has come to say goodbye to the field. I confess that it came from greater forces."

Leiva at Liverpool

Having initially struggled to establish himself at Anfield, Leiva’s opportunity finally came upon the departures of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano.

He went on to make 247 appearances for the Reds, and was an unused substitute in their League cup victory in 2012.

The closest he actually came to winning a trophy with Liverpool with some significant contributions was in 2016, when the Reds lost the Europa League final to Sevilla.

• “I can only thank you. I'm ending where I'd like, not the way I'd like. I'm sure a new cycle will begin. I had a lot of hope that it could reverse, but it was not the case. My health comes first.” Levia said in the press conference on Friday.

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