Nigeria and
Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme confirmed his retirement from
professional football on Friday following a battle with acute leukaemia.
The
England-born player, who was capped 10 times and named as an honorary 24th
player in the Nigeria squad at the recent World Cup, revealed last month he was
in complete remission from the disease.
“The support
has been incredible,” the 32-year-old, who has been with Wolves for his whole
career, said in a statement on the club’s website.
“Every day
someone has asked me how I am for a whole year. It’s incredible to think people
actually care so much that they’ll do fundraisers in my name.”
“I spoke
with the doctor and he suggested I should retire, because of the toll the
treatment has taken on my body,” he added. “He thinks it’s what is best for me
and I can’t really risk trying to come back — my health is the priority.”
Wolves
executive chairman Jeff Shi said: “Having been at the club since the age of 14,
Carl is far more than just a player in our eyes — he is our brother and an
important part of our family.
“When Carl
came to tell us his news, yes there was sadness, but also great happiness to
see him so healthy and hungry for the opportunities that lay ahead of him.”
Ikeme was
part of two promotion campaigns. He played more than 200 games for Wolves,
promoted to the Premier League last season, as well as dozens of matches during
a series of loan spells.
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