Champions League winner Ryan Bertrand announces retirement

Former Chelsea, Southampton and England defender Ryan Bertrand has announced his retirement.

The 34-year-old had not played for a club since leaving Leicester at the end of the 2022-23 season, when the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League.

Bertrand started his career at Gillingham, before moving to Chelsea's youth set-up and then spending time on loan with the likes of Norwich, Reading and Nottingham Forest.

The defender made 57 first-team appearances for Chelsea, including the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, which the Blues won on penalties.

After an initial loan spell, Bertrand made a permanent switch to Southampton during February 2015, playing more than 200 games for the Saints before moving to Leicester on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.

"It's been a little while, but I get asked a lot of questions, 'when are you coming back, what are you doing?', Bertrand said on Sky Sports. "So, just to make that official I am retiring and very much looking forward to the next steps."

Bertrand won 19 senior England caps and was part of Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2016