James McArthur opens up on retirement decision as Crystal Palace hero couldn't have asked for better ending

For once, he’s not thinking about his next trip to Old Trafford, Anfield or the Etihad.

Instead, it’s St Andrews, North Berwick and Royal Dornoch that James McArthur wants to tick off his list. But every swing of his hips – and the dull thud of pain that follows – is a reminder why it’s golf and not football he’s now playing. These days it’s Scotland’s best courses and not the UK’s most iconic stadiums on McArthur’s radar. After 323 Premier League appearances and 32 Scotland caps, the midfielder called time on his career last week.

Fittingly, the 35-year-old finished at the top. His last appearance was in England’s top flight for Crystal Palace against Nottingham Forest. It was an emotional end to his time at Selhurst Park when his contract expired. Going by the online reaction, most of the Palace diehards wanted the Scot to keep going. And in his mind, of course, McArthur would have played on. But his body told him differently.

For a kid from Barrowfield in Glasgow, no one can say he hasn’t squeezed every last drop out of his career. And by the end, with his back regularly in a state of agony, McArthur just felt he couldn’t give any more. He had pushed himself far enough.

That’s why he’s so philosophical in retirement. And now he’s looking forward to sampling some of the best golf Scotland has to offer.

So has he come to terms with the fact he’s now a retired footballer? In an exclusive interview with Record Sport , McArthur said: “Yeah, I have. I feel fine with it, I’m content. The game is tough. When you get to my age, it’s hard to keep fit and keep performing.

“If I was still at Palace things might have been different. Maybe I’d have kept going. But the thought of having to reset and start everything again was part