Ben Foster has unveiled the true reason behind his retirement from professional football, following a brief stint at Wrexham.
The unexpected decision to retire came after Wrexham’s 5-5 draw against Swindon last month. Initially, the 38-year-old addressed his decision with a brief statement on Wrexham’s website.
However, on his podcast ‘Fozcast,’ the former Manchester United and England goalkeeper has now elaborated on the actual motivations behind his retirement, including the specific moment when he realized it was time to hang up his boots.
You can watch the full interview below.
He explained: “The game against Swindon – the guy got it out of his feet and took a shot from about 22 yards.
“He bent it round into the corner. As he got the ball out of his feet, normally I know that he’s putting it in my corner, to my right hand side. I know it. I can read it like a book.
“But I couldn’t even read it like a book. Honestly, it’s mad, mate. I can’t explain it to you.
“I didn’t have that nous, it had gone a bit. I couldn’t read the fact that, I knew he was putting it in the corner, but I didn’t get the little steps in to make sure I knew that I could save it.
“I just did it, I wouldn’t even have to think about doing it before. Honestly, I wouldn’t. I’d just do it.
“I’d take the little steps to know that I’ve covered it off, so that even if he puts it on the post and in, I’d still be able to save it. I know I’d be able to save it.”
Wrexham, then a National League side, managed to convince the 38-year-old to come out of retirement in March, with Foster playing a key part in their promotion back to the Football League.
He pulled off a superb penalty save in the crunch fixture against Notts County, with Wrexham winning the National League and earning automatic promotion at the Magpies’ expense.
Foster then signed a new one-year deal ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, and retained his place as the Red Dragons’ number one shot-stopper.
But he made just five appearances before deciding to call it a day in professional football for the second time.
It wasDan Kemp’s curling strike for Swindonthat fits the description of the goal that caused Foster to make his decision –a decision which even surprised manager Phil Parkinson.