HD Oguchi Onyewu Philadelphia UnionTommy Gilligan

USMNT legend Oguchi Onyewu announces retirement

Former AC Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu appears to have announced his retirement from the game following a post on Instagram.

The 36-year-old, who started his senior career at Metz and played for the likes of Newcastle, Sporting CP and Sheffield Wednesday during a globe-trotting career, was last on the books of the Philadelphia Union.

Released at the end of the 2017 season, the centerback had been on the lookout for a new club, but after being unable to find one, it appears that he has elected to call time on his career.

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“All good things must come to an end… Thank you. #Blessed #Honored #Proud #TheEnd,” he posted on his Instagram account alongside a video including pictures of some of the highlights of his career.

Onyewu enjoyed an impressive career that spanned 15 years and saw him play professionally in eight different countries.

He enjoyed his greatest success in Belgium, where he helped La Louviere lift the Belgian Cup of 2003 and he was also a member of the Standard Liege squad that won two league titles.

Meanwhile, his time with Milan is mostly remembered for a training ground spat with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as he featured only once for the Rossoneri’s senior side because of persistent injury problems. Indeed, these issues saw him request to play the 2012-13 season without a wage - an act that was hailed by the club as “an exemplary gesture that deserves our sincere congratulations”.

On the international scene, he was capped 69 times by the U.S. national side, for whom he scored six times, and led them to CONCACAF Gold Cup success in both 2005 and 2007. These successes sandwiched the 2006 World Cup, in which he featured in all three of the national team’s games.

Perhaps his greatest honor, however, was being named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2006, when he became the first defender in more than a decade to take the prize. 

Injury problems in recent years restricted his ability to play on a regular basis and prompted his move back to his homeland in 2017 after a long stint in Europe. 

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