In a year dubbed as the ‘ breakout year’ which saw many youngsters rise to prominence like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Oscar Piastri, the sporting world also witnessed some of the all-time greats calling time on their illustrious careers.
The culmination of the Boxing Day Tests will close out an action-packed and entertainment-filled 2023, with major sporting events like the Cricket World Cup and the Champions League final grabbing most of the headlines.
However, in the midst of all this, there were some individuals, because of whom many of us fell in love with the sport, who said goodbye.
Gareth Bale
Arguably a guaranteed Ballon d’Or winner if not for his persistent injuries, the Welshman called it quits in January 2023 midway through his contract with MLS team Los Angeles FC.
In a decision that he called ‘the hardest of his career’, the 33-year-old’s trophy-laden career started with Southampton aged only 16, before moving to Tottenham Hotspur, where his overt abilities to be a matchwinner earned him a contract with Real Madrid.
The former La Liga winner was an able captain, leading Wales to the semis of Euro 2016. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
At Madrid, Bale reached the height of his career, helping the Los Blancos win multiple trophies, notably a record 13th UCL, thanks to his overhead kick in the final.
The former La Liga winner was an able captain, leading Wales to the semis of Euro 2016.
Stuart Broad
Since Test cricket’s inception, there are not many places tougher to bat than in England. And over the last decade and a half, Stuart Broad’s pace bowling exploits have maintained that status quo, not making batting any easier. A fierce competitor on the field, the speedster from Nottingham announced his retirement earlier this year following the conclusion of the Ashes.
Stuart Broad and James Anderson of England interact following Day Five of the LV= Insurance Ashes 5th Test Match between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on July 31, 2023, in London, England. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
While one can never forget him being smashed for six sixes in an over way back in 2007 by Yuvraj Singh, the 37-year-old’s achievements far outweigh this unfortunate stat he holds. And having a stand renamed is enough validation (the pavilion end at Nottinghamshire has now been renamed the ‘Stuart Broad end’ to honour the bowler).
Also, he is also only the second fast bowler after his longtime new ball partner James Anderson to achieve 600 wickets in Tests.
While an Ashes victory would have been the perfect send-off for England’s highest wicket-taker in the sport’s oldest rivalry, Broad nevertheless bids adieu leaving behind shoes that might be a little too big to fill.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
There are few things that are certain in life, like death and taxes. And prior to 2023, many had hoped that Zlatan’s never-ending football career would be another certainty.
However, the inevitable happened in June when the 41-year-old announced his retirement, with tears in his eyes, in front of a packed AC Milan crowd.
AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic reacts after his last game for the club at the end of a Serie A match between AC Milan and Hellas Verona at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 4, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP
Though there was only mention of AC Milan in his retirement speech, the Swede’s CV reads a long list of top clubs all across Europe.
He featured for clubs such as Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, PSG, Manchester United and the LA Galaxy.
The ageless gladiator has also bagged several league titles in the Netherlands, Spain, France and Italy in 24 years of professionally playing the game.
Be it his constant narcissism or his knack for scoring ridiculous goals like his bicycle kick against England, ‘The Lion’ will surely be missed.
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza is India’s first female tennis superstar.
In a career spanning 24 years, Sania has won national awards like the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan.
Tennis Star Sania Mirza Receiving Guard of Honour from Young Tennis Players during her Farewell at Sania Mirza Tennis Academy, Murthuzuguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Saturday, March 04, 2023. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL / The Hindu
She is a winner at all four Grand Slams and is a four-time Olympian. The former doubles and mixed doubles World number 1 announced her retirement in January.
Hashim Amla
‘Remember, in life no one deserves anything. It’s all God’s grace,’ was the takeaway from Hashim Amla’s speech as he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in January.
A man of few words, with a career that epitomises the phrase ‘I will let my bat do the talking’, every cricket fan would agree that the South African deserves only heaps of praise for the prolific career he has had.
An ace opener with an average of more than 45 in ODIs and Tests, there were very few who were better than him on his best days. | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters
An ace opener with an average of more than 45 in ODIs and Tests, there were very few who were better than him on his best days.
The man from Durban also holds the record for being the fastest ever to score 3,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 7,000 ODI runs, and the second fastest to reach 5,000 runs.
Christine Sinclair
After falling short in the World Cup earlier this year, Canadian footballing great Christine Sinclair called time on her footballing career.
The world’s all-time leading international goal scorer (men and womens) with 190 goals from 331 senior appearances, Sinclair has been the face of Canadian Football for a long time, who made goal scoring look ridiculously easy.
Captain Christine Sinclair signs autographs following her final international game. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Sinclair made her senior debut at 16 — then Canada’s youngest-ever player — in March 2000 in a 4-0 loss to China at the Algarve Cup.
Tom Brady
NFL quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement on Instagram in February, after a 23-year long career.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner with Tampa Bay and New England is the most successful quarterback in the league’s history and is the NFL’s career leader in yards passing (89,214) and touchdowns (649).
Brady is the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and has been MVP of the game five times. | Photo Credit: AP
He is the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and has been MVP of the game five times.
He also holds marks for regular season wins (251), Super Bowl appearances (10), playoff games and wins (48, 35), as well as playoff yards (13,400) and TDs (88).
He retired at age 45, having owned virtually every meaningful NFL passing record in an unprecedented 23-year career.
Chen Long
Chen Long announced his retirement from international badminton on May 19th, after a 13-year career.
The 34-year-old from Hubei goes out having won three Olympic medals, two world titles, and six Sudirman and Thomas Cup crowns during his career.
China’s Chen Long poses with his men’s singles badminton silver medal at a ceremony during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on August 2, 2021. | Photo Credit: AFP
Chen was also crowned the 2017 Asian champion.
China’s long-lasting tradition of producing top-notch badminton players reached its peak with Chen, who decided to retire to spend more time with his family.
In his playing career, Chen developed healthy rivalries with Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, Olympic champion Victor Axelsen, and his compatriot Lin Dan.
Kasumi Ishikawa
The paddler from Japan announced her retirement in May after calling her career one in which ‘she left everything out there’.
Kasumi’s accolades in a career spanning 23 years saw her reach a league of her own when she became the first Japanese sportsperson to medal at three Olympics.
Kasumi’s accolades in a career spanning 23 years saw her reach a league of her own when she became the first Japanese sportsperson to medal at three Olympics. | Photo Credit: Rohit Jain Paras/The Hindu
The 30-year-old left-hander was part of the team that won silver at the London Games in 2012 - Japan’s first Olympic table tennis medal in her debut at the Olympics, before claiming bronze in the same event four years later in Rio de Janeiro and silver again in Tokyo in 2021.
Carmelo Anthony
A former 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection, Carmello Anthony officially retired from the NBA in May. Tributes poured in for the 39-year-old as he retired as the number nine scorer in league history.
The No. 3 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony spent 19 seasons in the NBA and last played in an NBA game last season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal scored more than Anthony — who finished his career with 28,289 points.
The No. 3 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony spent 19 seasons in the NBA and last played in an NBA game last season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
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