A former Sheffield Wednesday star has hung up his boots, three years after leaving the club.
Some of the best footballers in the world have seen their professional careers brought to an abrupt end due to injuries.
Jack Wilshere looked set to be one of the best England players of his generation until spending a majority of his career on the sidelines, before returning at 30.
The likes of Abou Diaby, Eden Hazard and Marco Van Basten were also negatively impacted by injuries throughout their career.
While certainly not at the level of those stars, Joost Van Aken has also been forced to make the sad decision to retire at 30 years old.
The Dutchman began his career with SC Heerenveen, before he was snapped up for a reported £3 million by Sheffield Wednesday in 2017.
Van Aken went onto manage only 33 appearances for the Owls, before he was released in 2021 after his time at Hillsborough was massively tainted by injury.
The defender spent almost 150 days on the sidelines with a hamstring injury shortly after his arrival, before he was sent out on loan to Germany and then failed to re-establish his place in the team before leaving.
Van Aken has since returned to Herenveen but was racked up only 18 appearances in the last two campaigns in Eredivisie.
Joost Van Aken admits retirement is the ‘best choice’
The 30-year-old has now taken to Instagram to share the news of his retirement.
As per The Star, he wrote: “Dear friends, family, and supporters.
“It’s time to say goodbye and express my gratitude. Football has always been my greatest passion and has given me so many beautiful moments. The idea of playing in big stadiums in front of thousands of fans still gives me goosebumps. I am proud to have fulfilled my childhood dream, but all good things must come to an end.
“I am grateful for everyone I’ve met along this journey. I’ve made lifelong friendships and had the opportunity to explore the world. I want to thank my family, friends, and girlfriend immensely; without their support and love, this would never have been possible. The decision to stop wasn’t easy, but the past few years have been physically challenging and I realized that my efforts were yielding less and less. This is the best choice for both my physical and mental well-being.
“I look back on the past with pride and positivity, and I look forward to the future… Thank you all for everything. With sportive regards, Joost.”
Injuries ruined his time at Sheffield Wednesday
It is an unfortunate way to end his career and was certainly a player who looked to be set for big things when he joined Wednesday at 23 years old.
Van Aken was one of the most expensive signings in the club’s history at the time, but failed to live up to expectations.
The Owls were well aware of his issues at the time though, having missed almost a year through injuries in total before moving to England.
It was a massive risk for Wednesday and fans will be glad they can now have full trust in Danny Rohl to not make those kind of mistakes.