Alex Smithies had to retire in January 2024 without having played a game for Leicester City, having joined on a free transfer from Cardiff City 18 months earlier
Alex Smithies warms up before Leicester City’s FA Cup win over Walsall(Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Former Leicester City goalkeeper Alex Smithies has opened up on the abrupt end to his career at the club, saying it’s a sign of the lack of support retiring footballers receive.
Smithies did not play a single match for City during his 18 months at the club, the goalkeeper announcing his retirement in January 2024, aged 33, because of a serious knee injury.
Now working as a financial adviser, Smithies has spoken about his final days at City, and how important external support is when a player has to call time on the only career they’ve ever known.
Writing on LinkedIn, Smithies said: “In December 2023, I went to London to see my knee surgeon. I walked into that appointment as a footballer and walked out knowing it was over.
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“The surgeon told me I needed to retire immediately. My knee was no longer compatible with professional sport.
“The next day, I sat down with the director of football at my club (Jon Rudkin). I told him I’d been playing since I was six, and now it was over.
“Just like that, it was done. On my own. But the truth is, this isn’t rare. For most players, this is how it ends. No farewell. No closure. No support.
“Behind the scenes, for 99 per cent of footballers, the ending doesn’t come with applause. It comes with silence.
“For many players, that silence is only part of the challenge. It’s quickly followed by the pressure of providing for their families, while being forced to walk away from the only career they’ve ever known.
“Financially, I had planned for this and I’m incredibly grateful I had the right people around me behind the scenes.
“But that isn’t the reality for most. I’ve seen first hand how much that support matters. It gave me the space to think clearly, to transition with purpose, and to focus on what came next rather than chasing short term wins just to survive.”
Smithies had signed for City as third-choice goalkeeper in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer from Cardiff. He was on the bench seven times but never made an appearance.
He retired with nearly 500 games to his name though, from spells with Huddersfield, QPR and Cardiff.
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