Golden Jaguars International Matthew Briggs has officially retired from all forms of football, hanging up his cleats at the age of 32.
The English native’s decision was confirmed yesterday via a post on his official Facebook page. According to the football statistical website “Transfermarkt,” Briggs, who made his full international debut on March 29, 2015, against Grenada, at the National Stadium, Providence, donned the national colours of Guyana 17 times and scored one goal.
He was a member of Guyana’s maiden Gold Cup squad in 2019. Briggs once held the record for being the youngest ever English League player at the age of 16 years and 65 days, following his appearance for Fulham against Middlesbrough in May 2007. This feat was eventually broken by Harvey Elliot 12 years later, following his appearance for Fulham against Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 2019 at 15 years and 174 days.
Briggs represented England at the u16, u17, u19, u20, and u21 levels before switching allegiance to the Golden Jaguars. His last match for the national programme occurred against Haiti on June 11, 2022. His last club was non-league outfit Horsham.
He stated, “The time has come for me to hang up my boots. It’s something that has been in the back of my mind for some time now. I’ve struggled with a certain injury for many years now, and it’s one that can’t get better. I was told a couple years ago when I was playing in Denmark that I should think about retiring, but I wasn’t ready to stop playing yet, so I came back to England and continued to play non-league, and I have continued to do that for a couple of years. Unfortunately, the time has come now where my body is telling me to stop playing.”
According to Briggs, “Although it’s a hard one having to stop playing at 32, it’s a choice I’ve taken time to make, and I’m at peace with it. I’m lucky enough to say I’ve played at the highest level and captained my country at the senior level. I’ve had one hell of a career. I’ve had many highs and many lows, and I’ve learned a lot from them. It’s shaped me into who I am and what I do today. Now, I am able to put my full focus into my job at Fulham FC and mentoring the next generation of future stars and any avenues and opportunities that come my way.”
He further said, “I want to say thank you to my family and friends who have supported me my whole career. Thank you to my agent and friend, @twelvefcg, for looking after me and doing right by me. Thank you to all fans that have followed my career or been supporters of mine, and thank you to all the clubs, coaching, and background staff, and all the team mates I’ve had over the years.”
