Seven stunning retirements in the history of sport

British newspaper The Sun has published seven of the most incredible retirements of famous athletes in different sports after tennis number one Barty retired at 25.

Michael Jordan – Basketball

Michael Jordan first retired at the age of 30 in 1993 after leading the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA titles.

The basketball legend stunned fans around the world with his decision when he lost his desire to play basketball after the murder of his father. In memory of his father, who wished to see his son in Minor League Baseball, he decided to make the move to baseball with the Chicago White Sox.

He lasted two years with baseball and then returned to basketball again, winning three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, becoming one of the greatest legends of the sport in general.

Johan Cruyff – Football

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff led the national team to the 1974 World Cup final before being beaten by West Germany. He then helped the Netherlands qualify for the tournament four years later, but retired at the age of 29.

He said at the time that his decision was because he disagreed with the military dictatorship in Argentina, which hosted the tournament. But he later confirmed that it was more because his family was involved in a kidnapping attempt in Barcelona, and he did not want to leave them.

“To play in the World Cup, you have to be 200 per cent fit, ” Cruyff told Spanish radio in 2008 , according to The Sun. “There are times when there are other values in life,” he added. The Netherlands reached the final then but lost again, this time to hosts Argentina.

Nico Rosberg – Formula

Nico Rosberg has devoted his entire career to his role as a Formula One driver, where he has experienced a lot of success. The biggest of these was in 2016 when he won his first Formula One World Championship title in a Mercedes car.

In doing so, he ended teammate Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of a third consecutive title, beating him by just five points. When that moment finally came in 2016 at the age of 31, he made the shocking announcement that it was time to retire.

Rosberg became the third German to win a world title and the first to do so in a German car. In the sport, according to his inner feelings, he has achieved everything he set out to do.

Rocky Marciano – Boxing

Legendary heavyweight boxer Rocky Marciano retired in 1956 at the age of 32. He hung up the gloves with a record of 49 wins from 49 fights, remaining the only iconic heavyweight in history to ever retire with a 100% record.

He considered a comeback in 1959, but abandoned those plans after a month in the gym. He died in a plane crash in 1969 at the age of just 45.

Bjorn Borg – Tennis

Legendary Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg won a total of 11 Grand Slam titles between 1974 and 1981. But a defeat to John McEnroe in the 1981 US Open final meant that his career slowed somewhat the following year.

The Swede was unable to return to his former form. He then retired in 1983 at the age of just 26.

Florence Griffith-Joyner – Athletics

Florence Griffith-Joyner, known as “Flo-Jo”, was a famous American sprinter and three-time Olympic champion. She won gold in the 100 m, 200 m and 4×100 m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

She ran a time of 10.49s in the Olympic 100m and 21.34s in the 200m final in Seoul. The world records she achieved are still valid today. Although she never tested positive, she was constantly accused of doping.

After the 1988 Games, she retired at the age of 29 and died 10 years later when she suffocated during an epileptic seizure.

Eric Cantona – Football

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona stunned the football world when he announced in 1997 at the age of 30 that he was ending his successful career. This was at the end of his fifth season with the Red Devils, where he scored 82 goals in 185 games for the club.

Manchester United won the title in four out of five seasons during his time at the club and although he contributed 15 goals in his final season, the decision to hang up his cleats was final.

Source: The Sun