Wales and Bristol City midfielder Andy King announces retirement

Wales international Andy King has announced he will retire from professional football following Bristol City’s match against Stoke on Saturday.

The 35-year-old’s decision brings to an end a 17-year career which saw him become the only player to win the top three divisions with the same team after Leicester’s Premier League triumph in 2016.

King, who was capped 50 times by Wales, joined Leicester as a trainee and made almost 400 appearances for the Foxes before leaving in 2020.

Honour

He had a brief spell in Belgium with OH Leuven before joining boyhood club Bristol City in July 2021.

“It was an absolute honour to have played for this football club, one that I’ve spent many years watching, coming to the games as a child,” King told the Robins’ website.

“To be able to pull on the shirt for myself and walk out at Ashton Gate with my own family, my own children is so special. I wanted my last game to be in a Bristol City shirt and I think that’s the perfect way for me to go out.”

Euro 2016

In a lengthy post on Instagram, King described reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016 with Wales as “one of my life’s great memories” and also paid tribute to Leicester, “the club of my heart”.

“Even though I was lucky enough to wear the shirt 380 times, win three separate league titles and represent the club across Europe in the Champions League, it has given me more than football,” King wrote.

“It has given me a family, it’s given me friends and most of all it’s made me who I am today.”