Cymru midfielder Andy King has announced he will bring down the curtain on his 17-year professional career this weekend.
King qualified to play for Cymru through his grandfather from Wrexham and won caps at under-19 and under-21 level, before making his senior debut under John Toshack in a 1-0 victory over Estonia at Parc y Scarlets in May 2009.
King’s first international goal came at the same venue the following year in a 5-1 win against Luxembourg.
The midfielder played a key part in helping Cymru end a 58-year wait to qualify for a major tournament as they reached the UEFA EURO 2016 finals in France.
He came off the bench for his first appearance at a major tournament in the 3-0 win over Russia in Toulouse and featured as a second-half substitute in the historic 3-1 quarter-final victory over Belgium in Lille.
King also played the duration of Cymru’s semi-final defeat against Portugal in Lyon.
He made his 50th appearance for Cymru against Albania in November 2018, which proved to be his final on the international stage against.
At club level, King – a product of Leicester City’s academy – went on to make over 450 club appearances during his career.
He was part of the Foxes squad which remarkably lifted the Premier League title in the 2015/16 campaign, becoming the only player in the Premier League era to have won the title in the top three tiers of English football while playing for the same club.
In a statement, describing his time representing Cymru on the international stage, King said: “To the FAW, the whole of Wales and, especially, The Red Wall. What we achieved in qualifying for Euro 2016 and during the tournament in France will go down as one of my life’s great memories.
“That summer was a whirlwind I’ll never forget and to do it with such a special group of players and people made it even more special.
“To have worn the dragon on my chest 50 times throughout my career is something myself and my family are extremely proud of and I can only thank you for your support.”
