Sport

Donegal star Michael Murphy has retired from Gaelic football

Donegal captain Michael Murphy has called time on his 15-year senior career with Dongeal. The Glenswilly man has retired from the game.

The 33-year-old made his Donegal senior debut in 2007 and during his time with Donegal Murphy won back-to-back Ulster titles and All-Ireland glory in 2012.

Ni bheidh a leithéid arís ann - Michael Murphy announces his retirement from inter-county football.https://t.co/uo2KTarI75 pic.twitter.com/sK8KK8z161

— Official Donegal GAA (@officialdonegal) November 16, 2022

He was also named in Gaelic football's All-Star team three times., and in 2009 was named the Young Footballer of the Year.

Murphy in a statement said: "To have the chance to combine a sport I love with the place I love for 20 years of my life is a privilege and honour for which I am very grateful," he said. "But I always knew the day would come when this chapter of my life would have to close. Now, that day has arrived.

"I still love Gaelic football and I still love Donegal. However, in the team I'm proud to have captained, to compete at the level which Donegal deserves requires the best I can give every day. I no longer feel I have the energy and capacity to reach the performance levels to give my best to Donegal.

"The last time we sat together in the changing rooms in Clones, I told my teammates that whatever happened in the future, Donegal will always go on. That’s still my belief. I cannot and never will be able to express how thankful I am to my teammates and managers and those giving expert support over the seasons. Friendships and bonds have been forged which go with me throughout my life."

Murphy also thanked Donegal supporters, aswell as his family and his club.

"To those good people who support our county team and everyone I know in Donegal: they say we are different up here," he said. "Well, we are different in the best of ways. Thank you to all of you who have made this journey very special for me. I look forward to pulling on a Donegal jersey and joining you in the terraces to support our teams.

"To my own family and my club Glenswilly GAA, you've always been there for me, through the highs and the lows. It was you who made the sacrifices so that I could follow my dream. My family and my club are at the centre of all my plans for the future. They deserve the best of me too. Maybe in the years ahead, I’ll find new ways to offer something more to my home county."