Ex-Wigan Athletic, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur man confirms retirement
Former Wigan Athletic and England defender Steven Caulker has announced his retirement from the game at the age of 33.
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Caulker, who played for Team GB at the London Olympics of 2012, joined Latics on a short-term deal in January 2023.
He moved on at the end of that contract in the summer after Latics were relegated to League One.
“It’s time to announce my official retirement from my playing career. Seventeen seasons, 17 teams and five different countries," he wrote on LinkedIn.
“I had a good taste of Premier League football, played and scored for England, captained Sierra Leone, played in the Olympics, spent time as a player-coach, and met some incredible people along the way.
“Along with the highs, there have been some serious lows. It’s been a rollercoaster, to say the least. Today, I am very grateful for having experienced both sides of the coin, as it has helped me grow as a person. “I would like to take this moment to thank everybody who has supported me along the way: family, friends, coaches and fans.
"I look forward to now focusing full-time on my coaching and using all my experiences to help guide the next generation. Let’s see what 2026 has in store.”
Caulker came through the ranks at Spurs, and had loan spells at Yeovil Town, Bristol City and Swansea City before joining Premier League new-boys Cardiff City under Malky Mackay in the summer of 2013 for £8million.
He played every single minute of the 2013/14 campaign, but was unable to prevent the Bluebirds from being relegated to the Championship, and moved on to Queens Park Rangers.
After loan spells with Southampton and Liverpool, Caulker joined Dundee on a permanent basis in 2018.
However, his stay in Scotland lasted only one season, before a series of foreign moves.
He played for Alanyaspor, Fenerbahce, Gaziantep and Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey before moving back to the UK to join Latics.
His time at Wigan was tortuous, with the players repeatedly being paid late by former owners Phoenix 2021 Limited.
He said at the time: “The lies us as players have been told by Wigan is absolutely scandalous. There may be reason for late payment once or twice, but for the boys to have experienced this five times this season is completely unacceptable.
“Since I arrived at this club, I have seen the players and backroom staff work tirelessly to try to keep this club in the Championship. It’s really painful to now see that task become harder and harder each day.
"As the famous saying goes ‘Being silent while witnessing an injustice makes you guilty of the oppression as well’. Well my position is clear, I stand with the honest hard-working staff and players, whose mental health is now being affected by this.”
After leaving Wigan, Caulker had further foreign spells with Malaga City (Spain), Ankara Keciorengucu (Turkey) and Stjarnan (Iceland).
He scored on his only senior England appearance, in a friendly against Sweden in 2012 under Roy Hodgson, before switching allegiance to Sierra Leone, for whom he won 18 caps.
