A former Aston Villa defender who won the Champions League with Chelsea is ‘looking forward to the next steps’ following retirement.
Former Aston Villa defender Ryan Bertrand has declared his retirement from professional football.
Bertrand had been a free agent since being released by Leicester City in 2023 following their relegation, and he spent the 2023/24 season as such. The 34-year-old has revealed that he will stop his 17-year playing career, which began with Chelsea in 2006.
Bertrand told Sky Sports on Tuesday (June 18): “Just to clarify, I will be retiring from football.”
“It’s been a little while, but I get a lot of questions like, ‘When are you coming back, what are you doing?'”
“So, just to make that official I am retiring and very much looking forward to the next steps.”
Bertrand progressed through Gillingham’s youth before joining Chelsea for £125,000 in 2005. Before settling in at Chelsea, he spent time on loan at AFC Bournemouth, Oldham Athletic, Norwich City, Reading, and Nottingham Forest. During his time at Chelsea, he won the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League.
Bertrand spent the 2013/14 season on loan at Villa, where he played 16 times as the club ended 15th under Paul Lambert. He was sold to Southampton in February 2015 for an undisclosed fee after first signing on loan, and he ended up playing 240 games with the Saints until transferring to Leicester City in 2021. Bertrand made 11 appearances for the Foxes over two seasons before retiring.
