Former Sunderland and Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole has retired from football at the age of 32. The tough-tackling midfielder spent his final season in Holland with VVV Venlo after leaving Sunderland, where he played for ten years. Speaking to the Northern Echo, Cattermole stated that he had decided to retire to concentrate on securing his coaching badges.
Lee Cattermole Retires to Concentrate on Coaching
A Difficult Decision
Lee Cattermole’s decision to retire at just 32-years-old was a difficult one but the correct one according to the man himself. Speaking after the announcement, he said:
“Ordinarily I don’t think it would have been this year, my aim would have been to play two more seasons. Given how long it was since I last played, the more time I have been away from playing, the more I have thought about the game and getting on the training pitch.
“It was a difficult decision. If the season hadn’t finished like it did in May then things might not have been like this, but I think this is right. Since making the decision this week, which surprisingly wasn’t emotional for me, I have been really excited about the future. It’s really exciting and this is the right time for me.”
Pursuit of Coaching Badges Begins
The next step in the former England U21 international’s career has now begun. His aim when he finished his career was to go into coaching and management. It’s a pursuit that he has already taken his first steps in following a trip to Northern Ireland to work on his badges:
“I have always wanted to coach/manage. Now is a good opportunity to focus on that. I am 100 per cent fit, I have kept myself fit, I would anyway. I still have a lot of drive, energy, and I want to now put that into coaching to help others get better.
“It’s exciting, it feels like I am going back to the start again. It is about making my way in coaching. It is a huge challenge and one I am really excited about getting stuck into.”
Lee Cattermole: Loved, Hated and Underrated
Throughout his career, Cattermole was loved and hated by fans across the country. Loved by the fans of the clubs he played for and hated by those he played against. He was a tough-tackling midfielder who wore his heart on his sleeve. An underrated footballer thought by many as a player who could do nothing but tackle.
However, those who watched him regularly loved his passion, his love of a tackle but also skill many would not have associated with him. Cattermole was an excellent passer of a ball. Some of his long-range passing if done by some of the midfield greats of the past would have had fans and the media replaying them time after time.
A 14-Year Playing Career
Lee Cattermole began his career at Middlesbrough, making his debut as a 17-year-old in January 2006 at Newcastle United. Cattermole produced a man-of-the-match performance. At just 18, he became Boro’s youngest ever captain.
In the summer of 2008, a move to Wigan Athletic was sealed for £3.5 million. His impressive performances for the Latics led to constant speculation about his future. Just one year late, Cattermole returned to the North East, signing for Sunderland for £6 million.
A ten-year spell on Wearside, where his passion and commitment were always admired, ended last year when his contract expired. He would play abroad for the only time in his career when he signed for Dutch club VVV Venlo. He made 11 appearances, helping his new team stave off the threat of relegation.
Cattermole retires after almost 400 games, 271 of those in the Premier League.
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