Davy Propper Retires After Falling Out Of Love With Football

Former Brighton midfielder Davy Propper has decided to call time on his playing career, after falling out of love with the game during his time in England.

Propper joined Brighton in 2017, signing for a then club record fee of £11.7 million, and enjoyed four years at the Amex Stadium, playing 121 times for the club.

He played just 11 games for the club last season, thanks to injuries, and returned to his home country in the summer, rejoining PSV for an undisclosed fee.

On Tuesday he announced that he was hanging up his boots, after playing 15 for his team this season, saying he'd fallen out of love with the game.

"I made the decision before Christmas and it feels like a relief. Because of this I know it is the right choice," the 30-year-old said in a club statement.

"During the period that I was abroad, I noticed that I slowly lost the pleasure of football. I found it extremely difficult to muster the discipline necessary to perform optimally and to let my life completely be determined by the busy football schedule.

"The corona period and the lack of visits from family and friends did me no good then either."

Propper, who started his career with Vitesse, also said that he hoped his return to PSV, where he played for two years before his move to the Premier League, would help him change his mind but it didn't help.

"I am very grateful to the club that they have brought me in this summer," he added.

"I hoped that with my return to the Netherlands, the fun in football would return. Unfortunately, that has not turned out to be so easy, partly because I don't feel comfortable in football culture. 

"Still, I have adapted to it for a long time and sometimes closed it off. I don't want that anymore and that's why I'm done with it now."

On his future, the Dutchman added, "I'm going to find out exactly what I want, where my passions and interests lie and what I want to pick up. 

"Of course I also had many beautiful moments that I cherish. Will I miss playing football? We'll all see. For now I would like to thank my family, relatives and friends for all the support I have received from them. Now I have time to invest in them.”