Friday 22 March 2019 18:38, UK
Burnley striker Jonathan Walters has announced his immediate retirement, citing ongoing Achilles tendon issues.
The 35-year-old Republic of Ireland international confirmed on social media that his career is now over.
He wrote on Twitter: "Isn't it ironic...my Achilles heel has literally been my Achilles heel and finished me off!
"I am now retired from playing football. It's been epic. Veni vidi vici."
Best known for his seven-year spell at Stoke, Walters began his career at Blackburn before a 2001 move to Bolton, who were at the time managed by former England boss Sam Allardyce.
Spells at Hull, Wrexham and Chester City followed before Walters joined Ipswich in the January Transfer Window during the 2006-07 season.
Walters scored 32 goals over two-and-a-half seasons at Ipswich before earning a move to then-Premier League outfit Stoke.
The striker was handed an international call-up by Giovanni Trapattoni a few months after joining Stoke. He would go on to make 54 appearances in a Republic of Ireland shirt, scoring 14 goals.
Walters made a £3m move to Burnley in 2017 but injuries restricted him to just six appearances for the Clarets.
