Curtis Davies, a former defender for Hull City and Derby County, has announced his retirement, bringing an end to a remarkable career that lasted over twenty years.
The 39-year-old centre-back was let go by Cheltenham Town after their relegation from League One last season.
Davies finished his career with a total of 677 professional appearances in English football, having made his debut for Luton Town in 2003.
Throughout his career, he represented clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Leicester City, Birmingham City, Hull City, Derby County, and Cheltenham, notably scoring for Hull during their FA Cup final loss to Arsenal in the 2013-14 season.
Davies also earned three caps with Sierra Leone and played for England Under-21s on three occasions.
“The day has finally arrived,” he announced on his official X account., external
“After careful consideration over the past few months, I have made the decision to retire from football.”
“As a child, my dream was simply to become a footballer. Being able to play and score at Wembley, compete in the Premier League, and represent both England U21 and Sierra Leone during my 23-year journey has truly been a dream realized.”
“There have been numerous highs and perhaps even more lows, but collectively they have made my journey incredibly special.”
Davies secured the League One title with Luton and played for Birmingham when they won the League Cup in 2010-11, although he was cup-tied and unable to participate in the final match.
He made 145 appearances for Hull City, scoring seven goals during his time there.
His goal in the FA Cup final initially gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead over Arsenal, but the Gunners rallied to claim a 3-2 victory.
In 2017, he joined Derby after Hull’s relegation from the Premier League, where he played 175 matches and assisted the Rams in reaching the Championship play-off final in the 2018-19 season.
Last summer, Davies joined Cheltenham, where he made 39 appearances as they faced relegation to League Two.
