Cymru and Swansea City midfielder Joe Allen has announced his retirement from professional football after making 77 international appearances for his country and featuring at three major tournaments.
Allen ends his professional playing career where it all began for him at Swansea City. The 35-year old initially joined the club in 2000 when he was just nine, and has made 220 senior appearances for the club over two spells having initially left for Liverpool in 2012 before returning from Stoke City in 2022.
A fan favourite with the Red Wall, Allen made his senior international debut for Cymru under John Toshack as a substitute against Estonia in 2009. Over the course of the next 16 years, Allen would become an iconic figure and played a key role as Chis Coleman’s side reached the semi-finals of EURO 2016 with his performances earning him a place in the UEFA Team of the Tournament.
Allen was also an integral part of the Cymru teams that qualified for EURO 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and it was the latter tournament that would prove to be his last as he announced his international retirement in February 2023. However, current Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy believed Allen still had more to offer as a new era began, and he answered the call to return to the international fold in October 2024.
“He’s just high quality and I honestly believe he has more to give,” said Bellamy when he confirmed that Allen would make his return. “The way he’s looked after himself through his career, of course he’s had injuries of late, but I’ve watched him training for Swansea and he’s the type of person – he’s the type of profile – you want in a squad, just by his leadership skills as well.”
With injuries to midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Ethan Ampadu, Allen provided valuable experience on and off the field as Bellamy looked to implement his new approach on the group, and he would make three more international appearances following his return. Under Bellamy, Allen featured against Montenegro and Iceland in the UEFA Nations League and against North Macedonia in the current World Cup campaign.
“It’s a big boost and not something I was expecting in all honesty,” said Allen last November. “But it was an opportunity that was impossible to refuse. It’s given me a new lease of life in some ways. Listening to Craig’s ambitions, his staff and how he wants to develop the younger players was music to my ears. My message to the younger players in the group is to not take this for granted, it’s a special time.”
Of course, Allen is well-placed to recognise on special times with Cymru. During his international career he has experienced the absolute highs and lows, and was trusted by each and every manager he played under to set the tempo in midfield with his exceptional ability on the ball and defensive qualities to support those behind him. His character and genuine passion for his country always apparent when he pulled on the red shirt.
A brilliant yet humble footballer, Allen remains an inspirational figure for all that he achieved, and he will be remembered as an exceptional talent who represented Cymru with his heart on his sleeve. While his influence will no longer be present on the field, Allen will no doubt be in Cymru’s corner as Bellamy’s side push for World Cup qualification.
