Jonathan Walters announces retirement from professional football

Jonathan Walters has officially announced his retirement.

Walters hangs up his boots after a storied career spanning 12 different clubs and 54 caps for the Republic of Ireland. As recently as last month, the 35-year-old revealed that he hoped to recover from his ruptured Achilles before the end of the season but after much reflection, Walters has arrived at the decision that the time has come to retire. Via a tweet on Friday afternoon, Walters said: "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." https://twitter.com/JonWalters19/status/1109119180152938501 Walters re-joined Ipswich Town on loan from Burnley in August but suffered his Achilles injury just weeks into the Championship season. In recent years, the hard-working forward became one of the most popular players among Irish fans for his performances for the Republic. Walters has represented Ireland since U21 level, having qualified for Ireland through his mother, and he was handed his first senior international call-up by Giovanni Trapattoni in 2010. Walters was named the FAI Senior International Player of the Year in 2015 for his five goals for the Republic of Ireland during their successful Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.