Aston Villa defender Martin Laursen has confirmed he
will announce his retirement at a press conference on
Friday.
The 31-year-old former Denmark international, who joined
from Milan in 2004, has suffered a succession of knee injuries in
recent years and he has now told the Danish press he will not
attempt a comeback.
“I will announce tomorrow [Friday] that I am finished with
football,” he told BT.
“This time, it would be even harder to recover than before.
Because it would take a minimum of one year to recover and I had
just one year left on my contract, I decided to stop now.
“I am pleased with what I achieved during my career. I am proud
of the matches I’ve played and I’m proud of what I did for Aston
Villa.
“My only regret is that I did not come to England sooner. That
is where I have been happiest.
“Here, my abilities were really appreciated.
“It’s hard to imagine life without football, but I’m moving to
Copenhagen now and then I’ll just enjoy spending time with my
girlfriend and my son.
“I miss Denmark.”
Denmark boss Morten Olsen hailed Laursen for his ability and
character.
“Martin has had an enormous impact on the Danish national team
with his determination and winning mentality, but he’s also a great
guy in general,” he said.
“You couldn’t find an easier player to work with.”