Former Arsenal midfielder Diaby confirms retirement

Former Arsenal and France midfielder Abou Diaby confirmed his retirement on Monday after a career riddled by injuries.

Diaby, 32, last played competitively in August 2016, when he lined up for Marseille in Ligue 1.

However, injury woes disrupted and cut short his career, which included nine and a half seasons at Arsenal – the club he arrived at from Auxerre in January 2006.

“I put an end to my professional career,” Diaby told RMC Sport.

“It was time. For a number of years, it has been difficult for me to come back. I had a lot of physical problems.”

Thanks for the memories, @AbouVDiaby 

We’re all wishing you the very best following your retirement pic.twitter.com/mH23Q0ESPe

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) February 25, 2019

He added: “I decided to stop simply because the body was not following. It’s difficult because I have spent most of my life in football. It’s a closing chapter.

“There is a new one that opens. It is a well-considered decision. When I left Marseille, I gave myself a year.

“It turned out to be more complicated than I thought. I got to a point where even in my daily life it bothered me.”

Such were his injury struggles, Diaby made just 122 Premier League appearances during his time at Arsenal.