French defender William Gallas has announced his retirement from all forms of football with immediate effect.
Gallas is the only player in the history of the Premier League to have played for Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur because Clive Allen who had played for Spurs and Chelsea didn’t feature for Arsenal in a competitive match despite signing for the Gunners in 1980 as he departed for Crystal Palace just two months later.
In a distinguished career that saw him start at Caen before being snapped up by Marseille, he was signed by Chelsea in 2001 where he went on to win two Premier League titles but his departure was a controversial one as he left for Arsenal as part of an exchange deal that involved Ashley Cole.
Speaking to L’Equipe, the 37-year-old said, “It is not an easy thing to announce. You always tell yourself that you can keep going, but I think today I cannot go on any longer.”
In a career spanning 20 years in which he won 84 international caps, his last stint was with Australian side Perth Glory in the A-League.