West Ham Captain Mark Noble Wipes Away His Tears After Being Given Emotional Send-Off At The London Stadium

West Ham captain Mark Noble was brought to tears after being given an emotional send-off in his final home match for the club.

Noble, 35, has announced he will retire at the end of the season, bringing to an end an 18-year career spent entirely at his boyhood club West Ham.

Noble is sixth on the all-time appearance list for West Ham, having played 549 games for the Hammers since making his senior debut in 2004.

On Sunday, Noble was given a special send-off by the Hammers ahead of their final home match of the season against Manchester City.

Before kick-off, Noble was brought out onto the pitch to say farewell to the West Ham supporters.

He was visibly emotional while applauding the home fans and had to wipe away tears after taking his place on the bench for the start of the match.

In the 16^th minute of the game, the London Stadium rose to applaud Noble, who wears the number 16 shirt.

With 13 minutes remaining in the match, Noble was brought off the bench to a thunderous reception from the home support.

Noble would help the Hammers hold on to a 2-2 draw, with Riyad Mahrez missing a late penalty to win the match for City.

Speaking ahead of the game, Noble admitted he would struggle to contain his emotions on his final home appearance.

"There will be tears for sure," he said .

"I'm an emotional person anyway, I normally wear my heart on my sleeve.

"It will be emotional, but I’m pleased I get to do it on my own terms and retire from football, rather than football retiring me.

"I won't regret stopping, because football can change quickly. Sometimes getting the exit right is not done often, and I feel like I have done that.

"I'm not bothered at all if I play. I've spoken about it with the manager, and for me the club getting into Europe again, into the Europa League, outweighs a sentimental send-off for me.

"Obviously I'm going to get a great reception, I know that, and if I get some minutes, great. But I have played enough minutes in my life.

"We need to worry about getting the points rather than worrying about me."

Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports

Topics: West Ham United, Premier League, Football

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan