Former Rangers star Jermain Defoe announced his retirement this afternoon and some of his Ibrox teammates have taken to social media as the tributes pour in.
After leaving Rangers in January and signing a short-term deal at Sunderland, Defoe announced his retirement earlier after admitting he had been mulling it over for a few weeks.
During his time at Ibrox, Defoe scored 32 goals in 74 matches, helping the Light Blues win the Scottish Premiership title last season before taking on a player/coach role.
However, the arrival of Gio van Bronckhorst saw his opportunities on and off the pitch limited so he returned to Sunderland having become a hero there between 2015 and 2017.
Over he course of his career, Defoe scored 305 goals in 764 appearances in senior club football in addition to scoring 20 goals in 57 appearances for England.
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The veteran initially joined Rangers on loan at the start of 2019, spending 18 months on loan before making his move to Ibrox permanent in the summer of 2020.
A number of players who played alongside Defoe at Rangers have reacted on social media, sending messages to the striker after he confirmed his decision to call it a day.
Here are some of the comments from Rangers players on Instagram after Defoe announced his retirement:
Leon Balogun: LEGEND – all the best for whatever comes next. What a privilege to have played and shared a dressing room with you. Enjoy retirement o 😁 🙌🏽🤎
Cedric Itten: Absolut Legend. Happy retirement and thanks for everything big bro 💙🙏🏻
Borna Barisic: All the best brate💙
Ianis Hagi: Enjoy retirement big brother !!! It was an honour to be your teammate 🙏🏼 #BigTimePlayer 😎
Ryan Jack: What a career mate, all the best for the future 💙👊🏻
Meanwhile, Rangers fans are being left behind as infighting threatens to mar the club’s 150th-anniversary celebrations.