‘It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country and the people of Northern Ireland.’

Michael O’Neill has led the tributes to Rangers and Northern Ireland legend Steven Davis, who says it was an “honour and a privilege to represent my country” after announcing his retirement from professional football.
By Johnny Morton
Published 25th Jan 2024, 17:23 GMT
Updated 25th Jan 2024, 17:37 GMT

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The 39-year-old midfielder has brought the curtain down on a career which included 742 appearances and scoring 51 goals for top-flight clubs in England and Scotland while he retires as the most capped British player in history after representing his country on 140 occasions.

Davis, who captained Northern Ireland at the 2016 European Championships in France, had been struggling to fully recover from an ACL injury picked up while playing for Rangers in December 2022.

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He won four Scottish Premiership titles across two stints at Ibrox and was briefly named as interim manager earlier this season following the departure of Michael Beale.

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“It’s a strange sensation today, but ultimately it has been at the back of my mind given the nature of the injury and my age,” said Davis. “I did some testing four weeks ago and I realised I was still a little bit away. It feels like the time is right and I’m comfortable with it.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country and the people of Northern Ireland. Every time I’ve stepped on to the pitch I’ve felt a huge amount of pride.

“There’ll be moments we shared together I’ll never forget and that was epitomised with qualification to Euro 2016 and what followed in France.

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“The support and connection I’ve shared with the Green and White Army is something words alone can’t describe and I’ll always be grateful for. Thank you for the incredible support.”

Davis was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame last year after winning 10 major honours and helping the Glasgow giants reach two European finals.

“It’s been an incredible journey to get to two European finals and win the trophies that I have, share those moments with the fans, be within the dressing room with your family after the games,” he reflected on his time with the club. “It’s such a special football club and it goes without saying that I’m going to miss it, but I’ve had an incredible time here.”

Northern Ireland manager O’Neill said: “Whilst the news of Steven’s retirement is a sad day, particularly for football, particularly in Northern Ireland, it is also a time for us to recognise an outstanding player who has had an outstanding career.

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“I have known and worked with him for many years and he is a model professional and a wonderful person. His leadership qualities both on and off the pitch have always been evident through both the successful times and also the difficult periods.

“His record of 140 caps, 82 as captain, has set the bar high for current and future generations of Northern Ireland players and he is truly one of the greatest we have ever produced.”

by Jsime92