Tottenham’s Xavi Simons sends message as retirement announced
Xavi Simons has shared a pitch with many players throughout his career, one of whom has just announced his retirement from football.
Tottenham had high hopes for Simons, and while it is still early days, the midfielder has yet to live up to those expectations.
The 22-year-old has started 18 of Spurs’ 24 Premier League games this season, with five goal contributions to his name.
Simons’ best spell in his career so far certainly came with PSV, when he scored 22 goals and registered 11 assists in 48 appearances in Holland.
And one of the players he shared a pitch with then has now announced his retirement.
Former Chelsea midfielder announces his retirement
The PSV side that Simons was a part of featured several Premier League stars past and present, including the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite at Everton, Cody Gakpo at Liverpool and even Savinho, who is now at Manchester City.
However, one player who struggled massively for gametime that season was Marco van Ginkel, who was once on Chelsea’s books between 2017 and 2017, albeit making just four first-team appearances.
His exit from Holland took him to Portugal last summer, where he has since made just 11 appearances for Boavista.
But now, the 33-year-old midfielder has announced his retirement from football after a 16-year playing career.
The former Stamford Bridge midfielder announced it via his Instagram, with Simons replying with two love heart emojis.
Xavi Simons shared a special moment with Marco van Ginkel that Spurs fans will love
Simons is now looking to make his way to the Premier League elite status, and while that seems unlikely this season, he has showcased in the past that he has the quality, and that will come clear with more time.
The Dutchman has featured against English sides on various occasions in European competitions, one of which came back in October 2022.
Simons was named in the starting lineup for PSV as they secured a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Europa League group stage, with plenty of celebrations after the game.
Among those celebrations, Van Ginkel was pictured alongside Simons holding an Arsenal shirt, having prevented the Gunners from achieving automatic qualification to the Round of 16.