Former England defender Jagielka retires

Former Everton and England defender Phil Jagielka announced his retirement on Tuesday at the age of 41, following 800 appearances in a 23-year career.

The centre-back started his playing days at Sheffield United, where he spent seven years before moving to Everton in 2007.

In 12 seasons at Goodison Park, Jagielka established himself as an influential figure and became Everton captain in 2013.

He scored Everton's winning penalty in the FA Cup semi-final shootout victory over Manchester United in 2009 at Wembley, but missed the final defeat against Chelsea due to injury.

After being released by Everton in 2019, Jagielka spent two seasons back with Sheffield United following the club's promotion to the Premier League.

Jagielka, who was released by Stoke at the end of last season, won 40 caps for England between 2008 and 2016.

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"All good things come to an end and after just over 800 appearances my playing career is done," Jagielka wrote on Instagram.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would get to play football at the highest level for some amazing clubs as well as my country.

"It's been an absolute honour to step onto the grass for every match and I have so many people to thank for that."