FORMER Premier League star Anthony Knockaert has announced his retirement aged just 32.

The winger had spells at Brighton and Leicester and played a role in one of the most iconic goals in English football.

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Knockaert left Ligue 2 side Valenciennes at the end of the season after making 26 appearances, scoring just once.

And he has now decided the time is right for him to bow out of the game following a string of injury issues.

He thanked his friends and family as well as former coaches and team-mates for the support he had during his career, and paid particular tribute to Brighton, where he spent the majority of his career.

Knockaert was part of the Seagulls side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2017 – three years after he did the same with Leicester.

It was with the Foxes where he first made a name for himself, having played a key role in an iconic moment during the 2012-13 Championship play-offs.

In the semi-final second leg against Watford Knockaert won a dubious penalty and took the spot-kick, only to see it saved by Manuel Almunia with the score 2-2 on aggregate in stoppage time.

Watford then broke quickly with a famous passage of play that ended up with Troy Deeney rifling the ball into the back of the net to win the match for the Hornets and send them to Wembley.

Leicester wished Knockaert well following his announcement and he thanked the club in response, saying he would keep an eye on them in future.

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England’s controversial penalty

By Mark Halsey

HARRY KANE was gifted a penalty by controversial referee Felix Zwayer.

If England had been on the receiving end of that decision, we would have been absolutely fuming.

The German official, previously banned for six months for his part in a match-fixing scandal, should not have been sent to the pitchside monitor by VAR Bastian Dankert.

Both Denzel Dumfries and Kane had their feet in the air as England’s captain got his shot away.

It was just a clash of legs and certainly NOT a ‘clear and obvious error’.
Once Zwayer went over to the monitor, we knew what was going to happen.

He is an excellent referee but we have seen that none of the officials seem mentally tough enough to stick with their original call.

I know some people will argue Dumfries was late to the tackle and it would have been a free-kick elsewhere on the pitch.

But it is a contact sport and it’s natural that there will be a coming together in instances like that.

Aside from the penalty award, Zwayer had a good game.

There were fears decisions would go against England because of Jude Bellingham’s previous comments about Zwayer.

Bellingham was fined £34,000 in 2021 for blaming Zwayer and his match-fixing past for Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.

But Zwayer was right to caution Bellingham for his reckless challenge on Stefan de Vrij in the second half.

In a lengthier statement he wrote: “Today, I write to you with a mixture of emotion and gratitude to announce my retirement from professional football.

“This decision has not been easy but after much reflection, I believe it is time for me to turn the page and start a new chapter in my life.

“Football has been much more than a job to me. It’s been a passion, a way of life, and an unbelievable source of joy.

“I have had the absolute privilege of representing some incredible football clubs.

“To all of my team-mates, I want to say thank you. While I am leaving the field as a player, my love for football remains undiminished.

“I am excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to continuing to contribute to the sport in different ways.”

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