Top 5 football legends who have retired in 2019 so far

As part of the farewells for many legends in 2019, we tell you about the Top 5 football legends who have retired in 2019 so far.

There have been several sad retirements in 2019, this gave us the idea to talk to you about the Top 5 legends who hung up their boots throughout the year.

Many more players who had incredibly successful careers decided to call it quits this year, but these are the five that deserve the highest honor.

We are talking about some of the players who marked a huge era in modern football. Some of them were even teammates and some of them were rivals.

We will give you a detailed explanation of their biggest achievements, and we will tell you what they brought to the game throughout their careers.

We give you, the Top 5 football legends who have retired in 2019 so far.

5. Wesley Sneijder

We could have picked one of three Dutch players from the most recent successful generation, but we decided to go with the most accomplished one.

During 2019, Wesley Sneijder retired alongside Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. All three players were an integral part of the Dutch squad that reached the World Cup final in 2010. However, Sneijder was the only one who truly deserved a Ballon d’Or nomination during that year.

If it hadn’t been for the Barcelona stars, perhaps Wesley would have even won the individual trophy. We can’t forget that Sneijder was part of the Inter Milan team that won the treble during that year, that alone was enough for him to step on the podium.

4. Fernando Torres

The Spanish striker was the man who wrote his name in golden letters next to Spain’s first official title in senior football. This is the guilty party who scored that winning goal during the 2008 Euros against Germany, he is the one who started it all.

Torres was part of Spain’s golden generation that won three back-to-back major tournaments, and he also had an impressive career at club level. When he moved to English football, El Niño brought his dominating football to the Premier League for Liverpool and Chelsea.

As a perfect way to end his career, the man played his last years of competitive football with his beloved Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard recently called it quits while playing in the Japanese J-League for Sagan Tosu.

3. Bastian Schweinsteiger

The most recent of all the retirements we acknowledge on this list, was one of the most complete German midfielders of all-time. This is another one of those magical players who exuded versatility and elegance. His better years came at Bayern Munich, where he marked an era in world football and won the Treble in 2013.

But we have to give him the biggest credit for leading that German national team that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup against Argentina. Bastian is part of yet another German golden generation of players, this is actually the third one that we get in football history.

2. Samuel Eto’o

There aren’t many players in football history that can brag about scoring goals in two different UEFA Champions League finals.

Samuel Eto’o is part of a select group of players who achieved this feat, the Cameroon international also ended his career as his nation’s all-time top scorer. During his time with the squad, Eto’o surpassed legendary Roger Milla’s 43 goals by scoring an impressive 56 in 118 caps.

Eto’o also became the second most capped player in his national team, only behind Rigobert Song. However, the most incredible achievement was winning two consecutive Trebles with different clubs. No other player in history has done that, and we believe nobody will ever do it again.

1. Xavi

As one of the very first players who announced his retirement, we look at Catalan Xavi Hernandez. This man is the heart of that famous Spanish generation of players who marked a golden era in football.

His particular style of play was the most influential aspect of that squad that won two European Championships and a World Cup. The era between 2008 and 2012, will forever be remembered as the Tiki-Taka age thanks to Xavi’s contribution to the game.

Alongside Andres Iniesta, Hernandez is already an important part of football history and one of the most spectacular midfielders who ever lived. Which of these retirements was more upsetting for you? Please share your opinion in the comment section down below.