Leeds United player Stuart Dallas has revealed he will officially retire from professional football at the end of the season.
The Northern Irish footballer has been on the sidelines ever since suffering a severe knee injury against Manchester City in the Premier League back in April 2022 and has now accepted he is no longer able to return to the pitch.
With Leeds confirming the news on Wednesday, 10 April, they bid farewell to a "legend for club and country".
A bitter way to call time on his playing days, to say the least.
Sharing a lengthy statement online following the announcement, the Peacocks recounted Dallas' long list of achievements in his career, including winning both the Irish League Cup and Setanta Sports Cup with Crusaders FC.
Dallas also helped Brentford secure promotion from League One back in 2014 before going on to make 266 appearances for the Whites and help secure their return to the Premier League with a goal on the final day of the 19/20 season.
With 28 goals for Leeds and three goals in 62 caps for his nation, who he also helped lead to their Euros debut and first major championship in 30 years, the club credited "his versatility on either side as a winger, at left-back, right-back and centre midfield", insisting that he "always played with 100% effort wherever asked".
The 32-year-old had also played in every league game since Leeds' return to the top flight up until his femoral fracture which required multiple surgeries medical and rehabilitation. Sharing an emotional goodbye of his own, he thanked all the club staff and his family for their support during a difficult couple of years.
United signed off by reiterating: "Dallas will go down as a legend for both club and country for his achievements in the game, whilst away from the pitch he has also shown his commitment to our local community, representing the club at numerous events and engaging regularly with supporters."
Expressing their sadness at the unfortunate circumstances that have led to his decision, plans have been made to honour his time at Elland Road during half-time in the game against Blackburn Rovers this weekend.
They also detailed "discussions with Stuart about a future role, to continue his association with the club going forwards.
As for the man himself, 'Stu' signed off his tear-jerking statement by adding: "As sad as it is that my career as a player is over, I can look back with so many happy memories, representing the country that I love and a team that has made such an impact on my life. Leeds is a place I will call home forever".
Daniel Farke is urging fans to not get ahead of themselves following last night's massive win over Sunderland as Leeds gave their prospects of a Premier League return a massive leg up.
Returning to the top of the table after a last-gap 2-1 victory over the North East side, Leeds United now lead the league on 72 points as promotion back to the top flight is looking increasingly likely.
But we all know how football goes, especially in the Championship...
With that in mind, although Farke confessed it was "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United", he was quick to remind his players, staff and supporters that there's still a lot of work to do.
"I never thought I would ever get a yellow card for celebrating"
Daniel Farke shares his thoughts on getting booked for celebrating Leeds' 95th minute equaliser ? pic.twitter.com/tfLxXjE6AK
Speaking after the full-time whistle and when everyone had just about caught their breath back, the 48-year-old said: "These types of wins are the best kind you can have in football for the supporters and the whole group."
Despite being booked for joining in the celebrations and seeming rather puzzled by the decision, the German head coach went on to describe the victory as "priceless points", and "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United."
However, being fully aware of how fine the margins were and continue to be, he warned everyone to avoid getting carried away, adding: "We haven't won anything yet."
In case you weren't watching for whatever reason, it was a tense home outing against fellow playoff challengers, who took the lead through Wilson Isidor in the first half.
Nevertheless, a brilliant brace came from a somewhat unlikely yet increasingly less surprising source as Pascal Struijk notched his fourth and fifth goal of the season within just over a quarter of an hour - the fans just had to wait agonisingly until the very last quarter or so.
"This is the best Leeds side I've seen in the Championship, the substitutions changed the course of the game" ?
Andy Hinchcliffe praises Leeds and Daniel Farke after their late win over Sunderland ⚪ pic.twitter.com/9NgHcNcje0
Struijk's stoppage-time winner in the 95th minute understandably sent Elland Road into raptures which, as you can see, have been described as some of the best the league has seen in a while.
As Farke says, there's still a long way to go and Leeds won't want to rely on the bare minimum amount to qualify for the playoffs; with 42 points still up for grabs this campaign and teams on their tail, the next few months are going to be stressful.
You can hear Daniel Farke's post-match interview in full HERE and watch the rest of the highlights from a blockbuster finish and a fantastic start to the week for Whites down below:
Featured Images — Sky Sports/Leeds United (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Northern Superchargers fixtures confirmed for The Hundred 2025
Danny Jones
The fixtures for The Hundred 2025 have officially been revealed and we now have confirmation as to when we can expect to see Northern Superchargersgetting underway.
One of the fastest-growing competitions not only in cricket but sport, in general, this is just the fifth year of The Hundred but it’s promising to be the biggest and most ambitious yet.
Moving back to its traditional summer slot – set to take place throughout the month of August – well over half a million fans are expected to enjoy the action up and down the country.
You can find the full list of Northern Superchargers fixtures for this year’s Hundred schedule here:
Getting their campaign underway with the first double-header against Welsh Fire on Thursday, 7 August at home in Headingley, it's going to be a brilliant day of cricket - hopefully with plenty of sun to boot.
The Superchargers' first away game comes against Nottingham's Trent Rockets on Sunday (10 August) before heading down South the following Wednesday (13 Aug).
2024 alone saw a global women’s cricket attendance record shattered and with the double-header fixtures set to return, more history beckons for the tournament.
If you’ve never been along to The Hundred before, game days feature plenty of pre-match pageantry and fanfare before the women’s teams get the toss first.
Although there’s music, food and drink to be enjoyed throughout the day, one of the best parts about a day at The Hundred is the entertainment, with other games, activities, competitions and live performances before, during and after the break.
"You get fantastic crowds to play in front of at the biggest venues, with great support. I have absolutely loved being a part of the Superchargers", he continued.
"Captaining last year was a great experience, as was working alongside Freddie [Andrew Flintoff]. We have a great group of players that we will hopefully manage to retain for this year’s competition.
"We'll be looking to build on the momentum we have started to gather as a squad over the last few seasons."
You can get ready grab your tickets on pre-sale and found when general admission goes live HERE.
Danny Jones -
10th April 2024 
