Ex-Jamaica Skipper Morgan Announces Retirement
Wes Morgan, the former Jamaica captain, is set to hang up his boots with FA Cup winners Leicester City after Sunday’s English Premier League (EPL) clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
The 37-year-old burly defender shall remain involved with Leicester City, and he will keep his role on the Professional Footballers’ Association’s board.
The news appeared on the club’s website, with Morgan quoted: “To come to Leicester has been one of my best choices, and I can always look back on the memories. The fans have always been good to me, I always played my heart out for them.”
Morgan appeared as a late substitute, his 324th appearance for the club, when they sensationally lifted the FA Cup for the first time in their long history.
The veteran’s future with the club was always in doubt under French coach Claude Puel, but not since Brendan Rodgers arrived from Scottish giants Celtic as head coach in February 2019.
Born and raised in Nottingham, Morgan went on to play over 400 games for his local side Nottingham Forest before moving across the East Midlands nine years ago to become a stawart at Leicester. He proudly lifted the EPL title in 2016 under Italian coach Claudio Ranieri, having played every single minute of the season.
Morgan made the first of 30 appearances for the Reggae Boyz in the scoreless draw against Panama in September 2013. Fast forward 12 months and he took over the captaincy, his inaugural game as skipper ended in a 3-1 reversal to Canada.
He played every minute in the 2015 Copa America in Chile, where Jamaica surprisingly flopped. A few weeks later he helped guide the Boyz to their first CONCACAF Gold Cup final, where they lost 3-1 at the hands of Mexico in Philadelphia, USA.
As club captain Morgan led Leicester through a remarkable 2015-16 campaign, when they were crowned EPL champions despite being massive underdogs. The side narrowly avoided relegation the previous season.
His international career came to a sudden halt, last donning a gold jersey in 2016, as he has been overlooked ever since Jamaica head coach Winfried Schäfer was axed.
Theodore Whitmore returned for a third shot at the helm and, with an initial limited budget, rarely called up any European-based players for international duty until recently.
Morgan made history in March 2017 after he bundled home a first-half goal in Leicester’s 2-0 success over Spanish heavyweights Sevilla by becoming the first Jamaican to score in the UEFA Champions League, which helped Leicester book a berth in the quarter-finals.
Yet Morgan is not quite finished and could help Leicester, who lie fifth in the EPL ahead of the season’s final match against Tottenham, qualify for the Champions League once again. However, the team are guaranteed a Europa League berth if they don’t reach the Champions League.
The top four in the EPL qualify for the Champions League group stage, so Leicester need maximum points over Europa League-chasing Tottenham on 23 May and rely on slip-ups from either Chelsea, who tackle Aston Villa, or Liverpool who host Crystal Palace.
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