PSV midfielder Davy Propper has retired from football at the age of 30 due to ‘losing his love’ for the sport.
The former Brighton player moved back to the Netherlands last summer on a two-year deal to try to rekindle his relationship with the sport but failed to do so.
He made 19 appearances for Holland, represented the Sussex club 121 times in four years and played eight times during his second spell with his final club.
PSV Midfielder Davy Propper Retires After ‘Losing Love for the Game’
Davy Pröpper stopt als profvoetballer bij PSV. De 30-jarige middenvelder had nog een contract voor 1,5 jaar bij PSV, maar dat is nu ontbonden.
''Ik heb voor de Kerst de knoop doorgehakt en dat voelt als een opluchting. Hierdoor weet ik dat het de juiste keuze is''
— PSV (@PSV) January 4, 2022
Davy Propper Explains
In a statement published on the PSV website, the former Netherlands international admitted his ‘relief’ in retiring, which he decided before Christmas.
“During the period that I was abroad, I noticed that I slowly lost the pleasure of football,” he said.
“I found it extremely difficult to muster the discipline necessary to perform optimally and to let my life completely be determined by the busy football schedule. The coronavirus period and the lack of visits from family and friends did me no good then either.”
“I am very grateful to the club that they have brought me in this summer. I hoped that with my return to the Netherlands, the fun in football would return. Unfortunately, that has not turned out to be so easy, partly because I don’t feel comfortable in football culture. Still, I have adapted to it for a long time and sometimes closed it off. I don’t want that anymore and that’s why I’m done with it now.”
John de Jong, PSV’s director of football, added that he appreciated Davy Propper’s honesty towards the club and himself. “That is why, he says,” PSV is grateful to him for what he has done for the club in all those years and the championship that we have won with him.”
Propper will now devote greater time to his family and friends, as well as taking time to reflect on his future. “I’m going to find out exactly what I want, where my passions and interests lie and what I want to pick up,” he said.
“Of course, I also had many beautiful moments that I cherish. Will I miss playing football? We’ll all see. For now I would like to thank my family, relatives and friends for all the support I have received from them. Now I have time to invest in them.”
Football Authorities’ Responsibility
The 30-year-olds retirement is an indictment of the growing anger being shed by players towards the football authorities for their lack of care for player welfare.
Frustrations among footballers have been mounting for months at a time where governing bodies, particularly FIFA and UEFA, are tussling over what they believe is in the players’ best interests, rather than coordinating with the players themselves.
FIFA’s World Cup plans include a biennial tournament and a minimum amount of holiday days. Most recently, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski spoke out against the proposals.
“Over a season, we would have to play 60 games a year,” the Paris Saint Germain forward said. “The Euros, the World Cup, the Nations League… We like to play but it is too much. If people want to see quality, I think we need to take a break.”
Lewandowski added: “We have a lot of games in the year, very busy weeks. If you want to give the fans something different, you need a break. We have to look ahead, if we want to play a World Cup every two years, the level will drop. It’s impossible for the body and mind to perform at the same level.”
In October, Real Madrid and Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois launched a similar allegation towards UEFA following a third-place playoff match against Italy.
FIFPro also heavily criticised the governing bodies in their 2020 player workload report which indicated players are competing in a dangerous number of matches per year.
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