Yahoo Sport 
Football legends who hung up their boots in 2017
This time of year it’s always traditional to look back, remember, and raise a glass.
It’s fair to say that 2017 has certainly been a year of sad goodbyes with retirements breaking hearts and making us go all nostalgic.
Time finally caught up with a number of star names over the past 12 months as they plot their next move after hanging up their boots.
Wednesday afternoon saw another former favourite added to the list, ex-Arsenal man Tomas Rosicky calling time on an injury-ravaged career aged 37.
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We’ve lost some real characters – and not one player is more of an icon than Roma’s Francesco Totti who, aged, 41, is a talismanic symbol of the Italian giants. The ultimate one-club man will never been replaced.
Philipp Lahm will always be in Bayern Munich hearts, and we also said goodbye to the German defender who played exclusively for the club – save for a loan spell at Stuttgart in 2003 – and of course lifted the World Cup.
The great Andrea Pirlo spread joy all over Italy and later America, but the classy midfielder called it a day this year. Starting at Brescia, he went on to play for Inter, Reggina, AC Milan and Juventus before the 2006 World Cup winner spent two years in New York.
Kaka did similar – and the Brazilian former world player of the year, who ended his playing days in the Orlando sunshine, brought the curtain down on his fantastic career earlier this week.
Xavi, the Barcelona great, hasn’t quite quit but will be within a few months, saying goodbye to Al-Sadd in the Qatar Stars League where he’s been having a late career kick around.
The other Xabi, Liverpool legend Alonso, did retire in 2017 – his career spanned 18 years and five clubs, including of course Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Another former Red also waved goodbye, Dirk Kuyt – as Peter Crouch revealed he nearly killed the blonde haired striker’s career ten years early during a go-karting accident at a training camp when his breaks failed!
Some other former Premier League favourites have seen age catch up with them.
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Frank Lampard was of course the biggest name, back in February confirmation came that one of the game’s great goalscoring midfielders was putting his boots in the loft once and for all.
Scott Parker, the former West Ham, Charlton and Fulham midfielder, announced his retirement. As did ex-Craven Cottage team-mate Brede Hangeland.
Football also said farewell to Rickie Lambert, who caused defences all sorts of problems at Bristol Rovers, Southampton and West Brom before fulfilling a lifetime ambition of playing at Anfield in the red of Liverpool.
