Former Sunderland captain Corry Evans has announced his retirement, with teammates past and present paying tribute
Former Sunderland captain Corry Evans has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing an end to a decorated career that saw him represent Northern Ireland 72 times, lead the Black Cats back to Wembley glory and enjoy promotions with Hull City and Blackburn Rovers.
The 35-year-old confirmed his decision in an emotional Instagram statement on Thursday, saying: “After an incredible journey, the time has come to hang up my boots. From coming through the Academy at Manchester United, to winning promotions with Hull City and Blackburn Rovers, captaining Sunderland to promotion at Wembley, a short spell at Bradford City, followed by a Wembley win with Oldham. I’ve loved every step along the way!
“Representing my country 72 times and playing at Euro 2016, will always be one of my proudest achievements. A huge thank you to my family, teammates, coaches and the fans who’ve supported me throughout the highs and lows. It’s been an unforgettable ride.”
Evans spent three seasons at Sunderland after joining from Blackburn in 2021, making 67 appearances and captaining the club during their promotion-winning 2021-22 campaign, which culminated in a 2-0 victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley.
Following his announcement, tributes poured in from Sunderland players past and present. Patrick Roberts wrote: “All the best skip! Been a pleasure my man.” Romaine Mundle simply added: “What a legend.” Trai Hume commented: “Was a pleasure skip, enjoy the next chapter mate.” Leo Hjelde reacted with two red heart emojis, while Niall Huggins said: “Legend, all the best skip.”
Jack Clarke also left a heartfelt message to his former captain, writing: “Legend.” Bradley Dack added: “Love ya mate. Some career!! You should be very proud.” Lynden Gooch, who played alongside Evans during Sunderland’s promotion season, said: “Incredible mate, what man, what a skipper.”
Former Sunderland midfielder Alex Pritchard wrote: “Amazing career, pleasure to share a dressing room with you skip, all the best to you and your family.” Danny Batth posted: “What a career mate, incredible. Catch up soon.” Elliot Embleton commented: “All the best mate.”
Nathan Bishop added: “What a guy. All the best in whatever’s next mate.” Danny Graham also joined the tributes, writing: “Some career Corry, all the best in your next chapter.” After Evans’ announcement, Sunderland paid their own tribute to their former captain, posting: “Congratulations on a brilliant career and enjoy your retirement, Corry!”
What Kristjaan Speakman has said about Sunderland’s transfer plans
Speaking to Football Focus before Sunderland's recent win over West Ham, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said the club would remain active in the transfer market right up until the transfer deadline on September 1st.
“It is a process all the way through to the end of the month," he said. "I mean, we're trying to build the best squad for the Premier League that we can do. We think we've had a really good start at that. Obviously, today will be a good test for us, the first game, but we'll be working away through to deadline day to try to make sure that the team is the right team and the squad is the right squad.
“Fans will be excited, obviously keen to see the new faces, but I think there'll be a few as well who want a bit of reassurance. You know, we've seen history not be kind to some clubs who've had a real go. So it's bound to be a bit of a gamble, it always is. But how much is the club future-proof to make sure everything will be okay in the long run? Yeah, we've always tried to look at every outcome when we make decisions.
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“We're always looking at what's the short-term, and obviously for us that's the Premier League season, and obviously what the medium and long-term is. So we certainly have always been well-planned with that. I think you've always got to look at all the different outcomes, whether they're positive or negative.
“We're all geared up for the positive. You can spend a lot of time, I think, talking about the challenge and the difficulty. We've tried to assess the focus on what the solutions are and how we can build a really positive team for the Premier League.”
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