Top 10 Sportsmen Who Should Retire
There are some that believe Audley Harrison should have hung up his boxing gloves a long time before he did so earlier this week after yet another loss. There are a number of sportsmen around the globe that may be considering calling it quits as well and FREEbets.org.uk have a look at 10 of those candidates.
1. Steve Davis
In some ways it is admirable that a former champion of a sport loves the game so much he is happy to plod along, playing in minor events and scrapping away to be involved in the major television events, but others would disagree. The six-time world champion will not be winning any more tournaments on the main tour and it might be time to stick to the senior’s events for the Nugget.
2. Dwayne Chambers
The controversial sprinter was banned for two years back in February 2004 and there are plenty who think he should never have been allowed to return to the sport, a group of people that may well have included Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Christian Malcolm who were stripped of their Olympic relay gold medals as a result of his misdemeanour. At 35-years-old and with a persistent back injury Chambers isn’t getting any better and should probably call it a day.
3. Phil Taylor
A controversial choice seen as the Power is still world number one and reigning world champion but for one of the most dominant British sportsmen in the last 20 years it would be a shame for him not to go out on top. At 52-years-old it would be a surprise if Taylor hasn’t already peaked and with Michael van Gerwen looking set to become the new force in the game it may be best for the Power to end on a high.
4. Owen Hargreaves
Many will have thought the ex-England midfielder was already retired but apparently not and he is on the look-out for a new club. However, Hargreaves is unwilling to drop down the leagues to do so and is holding out for a top level opportunity. He will be waiting a long time to find a Premier League club that will gamble on his broken body and it would be best just to bite the bullet and hang up his boots.
5. Shay Given
Once one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League has now been reduced to an understudy in a team battling against relegation. Having been ousted from the first XI at Manchester City, the move to Aston Villa was meant to bring him the regular place he desired but now getting no game time and having already retired from international football he may be making that decision for his career as a whole soon.
6. Sachin Tendulkar
Many, especially in India, would have you believe he is the greatest player of all time but now at 40 the Little Master is a long way past his best. He is currently on a mammoth 198 tests for his country and he may well be waiting to hit the 200 landmark but it does seem that he has been in the team for some years now for the sole purpose of setting records and it is probably time to call it quits.
7. David Beckham
At 38 Beckham is still making noises about getting back into the England squad but that seems very unlikely indeed at this stage. He still does a job in midfield for Paris Saint-Germain but coming on and getting sent off after six minutes in Ligue 1 does suggest he is off the pace a little. With all his sponsorships and endorsements he certainly doesn’t need to play anymore and it is probable time to hang up the boots and concentrate on his other work.
8. Rick Flair
Not really a sportsman in the classic sense but there are many in America who would have you believe he is one of the greatest that “sports entertainment” has ever had to offer. He may be in good shape for his age but there are not many 64-year-olds strutting around in a pair of pants that look great and Flair isn’t one of them. Professional wrestling is meant to be gory at times, but not purely because of the competitors themselves.
9. Giovanni Trappatoni
He has had an absolutely tremendous career in management and did well to take Ireland to the last European Championships but it was a bit of a bloodbath in Poland and Ukraine and things have not got a lot better since. Many Irish fans have lost patience with Trap for refusing to pick a number of promising youngsters and if he fails to get them to the World Cup then it could be time to leave. At 74-years-old then there is no need to get
10. Roy Jones Jr
Undoubtedly one of the greatest boxers in history and a world champion across four weight divisions but at 44-years-old his skills have been on the wane for some time. Arguably the best fighter in the world at times during the 90s and early 2000s but after suffering his first knockout in 51 fights against Antonio Tarver in 2004 he has lost six more times and looks far from world standard now. There is talk of him fighting retired former world champion Steve Collins and if he has to resort to bizarre spectacles like that then it is probably time to hang up the gloves.