The former Hoops loanee has called time on his career as he looks to the future
Charly Musonda has announced his retirement from professional football at just 28.
The former Celtic loanee – once described as a major coup by Brendan Rodgers when he moved to Parkhead – has decided to call time on his playing career and take his path in a new direction.
A promising young talent breaking through at Chelsea, he was expected to go on to big things, but a series of setbacks meant his career didn’t go as predicted with his playing days ending with stints at Levante and Anorthosis Famagusta.
Announcing his retirement on the Rising Ballers podcast, he said: “I’ve got a big announcement today. Obviously it took some time and I have been thinking about it the last couple of years.
“I am announcing I am going to retire from professional football. It is not an easy decision but again, I want to live my life with purpose and help players.
“I am building up towards the next stage now. I am working with helping players express themselves, having an opportunity to showcase how good they are because there are so many players around the world who don’t get that opportunity.
I know about that. So I want to make a change there and I want players to essentially showcase how good they are and back themselves to turn into professional players.”
His arrival at Celtic was one that had boss Rodgers over the moon and buzzing.
He revealed the youngster had 24 clubs chasing his signature with “some real prestigious clubs” on the list of suitors.
Real Madrid had even previously made an enquiry about the player but he picked Parkhead and it was a signing the now Hoops gaffer had extremely high hopes for.
Ultimately, it didn’t work out, but speaking at the time, Rodgers said: ‘He is a big talent,’ Rodgers said. ‘Subject to a medical, it is a great signing for us. He is a young guy who is in a Premier League squad and an exciting player.
“Charly had 24 clubs interested in taking him and some real prestigious clubs at that. “We had permission from Chelsea last season for him to come here and speak to us and came up and he got a feel for it.
“The staff at Chelsea know how I work but it is a great coup for Celtic and for Scottish football that a young kid who was coming off the bench for Chelsea in the Premier League is up here a couple of weeks later. It is a big signing for us.”