Mousa Dembele, a former Tottenham Hotspur player, has declared that he would retire from sport later this year.
The 34-year-old Belgian’s contract expires in a year, and Dembele has stated that he has no plans to extend it.
“First and foremost, I would want to thank everyone for the lovely sentiments I have received,” he said in an Instagram statement.
“I haven’t stopped yet, to cleap up.” My contract is still valid for another year. But I can already tell you that I’m going to cease after this year. “Thank you very much.”
Dembele turned down a new contract offer from Chinese Super League team Guangzhou, according to Belgian publication HLN.
Dembele moved to Guangzhou in 2019 after seven years at Tottenham Hotspur. He began his Premier League career at Fulham, but his best years were spent in North London under Mauricio Pochettino.
Following news of Dembele’s retirement, many have paid respect to the Belgian midfielder, who became a fan favorite at Spurs.
Dembele appeared in 249 games for Spurs, scoring 10 goals in all competitions. He also earned 82 caps for Belgium, the latest of which he made in 2019.