Baku, November 16, AZERTAC

Former England and Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 36, according to Sky Sports.

Cahill, who earned 61 caps and scored five goals for his country, has been without a club since leaving Bournemouth in the summer.

The two-time Premier League winner believes now is the time to hang up his boots.

Cahill broke into the England squad during his time at Bolton Wanderers, and earned his first cap against Bulgaria in a 4-0 win in September 2010. In doing so, he became the first Bolton player to play for England since Michael Ricketts in 2002.

Cahill is remembered most for his seven years at Chelsea, who bought him for £7m in the 2012 January transfer window. His biggest achievement was being part of the squad that lifted the Champions League in 2012, and he collected eight major honours during his time at Stamford Bridge.

After leaving Chelsea as a free agent in 2019, Cahill joined Crystal Palace for a two-year spell where he made 47 appearances in all competitions under former England manager Roy Hodgson.

The former Bolton and Aston Villa centre-back was unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Eagles after weeks of talks in 2021, so he joined Bournemouth on a short-term deal for the 2021/22 campaign.