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Adam Lallana has called time on his glittering playing career, but he won't be lost to football. The 37-year-old announced his retirement on Wednesday via an emotional post on Instagram. "As I call time on my playing career, I do so with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride, " Lallana said. "I could not be more appreciative of the opportunities I’ve been given and the support I’ve received along the way. "You owe so much to so many on a journey like this — it’s impossible to name everyone, but to all those please know how grateful I am. I couldn’t have done it without you. "It’s crazy to think this all began in the last millennium, when I signed for the academy in 1999. Since making my professional debut in 2006, I realise I’ve been blessed to live the dream that millions of people share. " In the post, Lallana acknowledged Southampton as the club he 'ultimately owe everything to' given he began and finished his playing career at St Mary's. It is also where he will begin the first chapter of life post-retirement, as the 34-time England international will form part of new Saints boss Will Still's backroom staff. In a club statement, Southampton confirmed Lallana will be a First Team Coach under Still alongside Carl Martin. Paul Trollope, who has previously managed Bristol Rovers and Cardiff City, was announced as Still's assistant manager. Ruben Martinez will join as goalkeeping coach having worked alongside Still during his stint at French club Reims. However, there was no room for Simon Rusk, who led the Saints on an interim basis following the departure of Ivan Juric last season. Upon Juric's departure, Lallana took up a player-coach role to aid Rusk as Southampton trudged towards the end of the season having already been relegated. But he will now no longer be on the training pitch as a player having taken a full-time coaching role. Lallana retired having made just shy of 570 appearances across a decade that spanned nearly two decades. He made his debut for Southampton as an 18-year-old in 2006 having come through the club's academy. The 37-year-old made a whopping 283 appearances for the Saints and played a leading role in helping the club to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League. Lallana spent just two seasons with Southampton in the top flight before Liverpool came calling with a £25million move in 2014. He went on to feature an impressive 178 times for the Reds and registered 22 goals and 22 assists. During his time at Anfield, he won the Premier League, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. Lallana then joined Brighton in 2020, where he spent four seasons before he returned back to Southampton for the 2024/25 Premier League campaign. Southampton (2006-2025): 283 appearances, 60 goals, 47 assists Bournemouth (2007-2008): Four appearances, zero goals Liverpool (2014-2020): 178 appearances, 22 goals, 22 assists Brighton (2020-2024): 104 appearances, 4 goals, 4 assists England (2013-2018): 34 appearances, 3 goals, five assists EFL Trophy winner (2009/10) Premier League winner (2019/20) Champions League winner (2018/19) UEFA Super Cup winner (2019) FIFA Club World Cup winner (2019) PFA League One Team of the Year (2010/11) PFA Championship Team of the Year (2011/12) PFA Premier League Team of the Year (2013/14) England Player of the Year (2016) © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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