Victor Wanyama Reveals Painful Reason that Forced Him into Retirement

Victor Wanyama announced his retirement from football on Friday but according to him, he would have liked to continue were it not for a problem that he has been dealing with for years.

Aged 34, Wanyama officially hung his boots, bringing the curtains down on a 19-year career that saw him play in Kenya, Sweden, Belgium, Scotland, England and the United States.

However, many players his age are still performing at the highest level with others way older than him still some of the finest in the world. Wanyama has been toying with retirement in recent months but he still felt he had enough to keep going.

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The problem has been constant pain that he has had to deal with for a number of years even when he was actively playing.

Speaking to the Dailymail, Wanyama revealed that a knee injury during a pre-season friendly at Wembley in 2017 was the start of his physical problems. Wanyama was sidelined for over four months with damaged knee cartilage and having returned, he played for a number of weeks before aggravating it against Chelsea.

Given his physical style of play, Wanyama had to manage the wear and tear of his knee for the rest of his career. In his last few seasons, the midfielder was managing the pain with ice treatment, rest and anti-inflammatories.

But as it took its toll on him, he knew the end had come as he could not continue down that dangerous and painful road that he had been on for so long.

“I've been managing it for some time and it was time to walk away, not to stress anymore,” he said. “I had to go through a lot of pain over the years because of the position I play and how I like to play with physicality. Now I can't wait to learn.”

Now with the pressure off his mind and body, Wanyama is fully focused on becoming a coach as he looks to curve out a career in the dugout. He completed his UEFA B License in Northern Ireland last year and is on his way to acquiring the A License.

“I have my foundation here in Nairobi where I still work with young people and I'm training every day. I see working with the younger generation as the initial way forward for me then we will see,” he added, emphasising the importance of starting out as a youth coach and then working his way up.

“My dream is to coach in Europe. That has to be my goal,” said the former Celtic, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and CF Montreal midfielder, who has already spoken to a number of London clubs over coaching roles at their academies.