Ex-Chelsea, Southampton & England defender Bertrand retires

Ryan Bertrand played 73 minutes of Chelsea's Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in 2012

Former Chelsea, Southampton and England left-back Ryan Bertrand has announced his retirement from football.

Bertrand, who was a product of the Blues' youth set-up, made 57 first-team appearances for Chelsea, including in their 2012 Champions League final win against Bayern Munich.

But it was at Southampton where he spent the majority of his career - making 240 appearances in all competitions - before moving to Leicester City in 2021.

The 34-year-old has been without a club since leaving the Foxes last summer.

"I will be retiring from football," Bertrand announced live on Sky Sports.

"It's been a little while but I get asked a lot of questions - 'When are you coming back, what are you doing?'

"So, just to make that official I am retiring and very much looking forward to the next steps."

Bertrand had loan spells at Bournemouth, Oldham, Norwich, Reading, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Southampton while at Chelsea.

Following a successful six-month loan stint with the Saints, he made a permanent switch and went on to spend a further six and a half years at the club.

He joined Leicester on a free transfer in 2021, but multiple injury setbacks meant he made just 11 appearances, and he was released after their relegation to the Championship in 2023.

Bertrand won 19 senior England caps and was part of Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad.