I didn’t feel as sharp and aggressive – Christophe Berra explains why he retired

Former Scotland defender Christophe Berra made the surprise decision to retire just days before the cinch Championship kick-off because he felt he had lost some “sharpness and aggression” and did not want to let his Raith Rovers team-mates down.

Despite being a key man for the Kirkcaldy club last term, the 37-year-old – who won 41 international caps between 2008 and 2017 – informed boss Ian Murray at the start of last week that he felt ready to hang up his boots.

After playing two more Premier Sports Cup games against Dumbarton and Aberdeen while his manager sought replacement defenders in the transfer market, Berra publicly announced on Tuesday evening that he had called time on a career spanning almost 20 years and incorporating spells with Hearts, Wolves, Ipswich and Dundee.

“I’d been thinking about it over the past year because I’ve kind of had my coaching head on for a while now and I’ve got ambitions to be a manager,” he said, discussing his retirement for the first time in an exclusive interview with PA news agency.

“I did pre-season and I was fit as normal but after the Stirling game I went to see the manager and told him I didn’t feel as sharp and aggressive in training as I’d been in the past.

“I felt like I’d be letting myself and the team down if I played on and I just said to give up my contract and find other players. The manager was brand new because he retired at 31 and knows what it feels like. You know when you know that it’s time.

“I could still be playing. We played Dumbarton two days after I told the manager and I cruised through the game but I know weeks and months down the line when things aren’t going well and I’m a bit off it, I’ll get really frustrated with myself and maybe get frustrated at my