Injury forces former Ajax stalwart to retire: โ€œIt hurts to say goodbyeโ€

After more than 250 matches in professional football, Nicolai Boilesen will retire as a professional footballer on Sunday. The 33-year-old defender is forced to retire from football due to injuries.

Boilesen can end his career on Sunday with a league title with FC Copenhagen, although he has been out of action this term due to a knee injury. The Superliga leaders start the final day of the season with a one-point lead over rivals FC Midtjylland.

The defender could celebrate the ninth national title of his career. During his time at Ajax, Boilesen became national champion four times in a row under Frank de Boer. In the summer of 2016, he left for Copenhagen on a free transfer. There, he added four more national titles to his trophy cabinet, which is also filled with a Dutch and Danish Super Cup.

After more than 250 matches in professional football and 22 international matches for Denmark, Boilesenโ€™s professional career will come to an end this weekend. The Danish Ajax academy graduateโ€™s football journey started on 3 April 2011 in Amsterdam with a home win over Heracles Almelo.

Admittedly, Boilesen could have played more games if he hadnโ€™t been injured so often. His last game was in December 2023, in the Champions League against Galatasaray (1-0 win).

โ€œItโ€™s very special that Iโ€™ve now said out loud that Iโ€™m ending my career. There are so many things that Iโ€™m proud of, that Iโ€™ve achieved through football,โ€ Boilesen said in a message on Copenhagenโ€™s club website.

โ€œBut I also have to admit that I thought it could have been more games if I hadnโ€™t been injured so much. Thatโ€™s also the reason why Iโ€™m retiring now. It hurts to say goodbye to something that I enjoyed every day. But I feel lucky to have been given this unique opportunity.โ€

GBeNeFNย |ย Max Bradfield

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