Injury forces former Ajax stalwart to retire: “It hurts to say goodbye” | OneFootball

After more than 250 matches in professional football, Nicolai Boilesen will retire as a professional footballer on Sunday. The 33-year-old defender is forced to retire from football due to injuries.

Boilesen can end his career on Sunday with a league title with FC Copenhagen, although he has been out of action this term due to a knee injury. The Superliga leaders start the final day of the season with a one-point lead over rivals FC Midtjylland.

The defender could celebrate the ninth national title of his career. During his time at Ajax, Boilesen became national champion four times in a row under Frank de Boer. In the summer of 2016, he left for Copenhagen on a free transfer. There, he added four more national titles to his trophy cabinet, which is also filled with a Dutch and Danish Super Cup.

After more than 250 matches in professional football and 22 international matches for Denmark, Boilesen’s professional career will come to an end this weekend. The Danish Ajax academy graduate’s football journey started on 3 April 2011 in Amsterdam with a home win over Heracles Almelo.

Admittedly, Boilesen could have played more games if he hadn’t been injured so often. His last game was in December 2023, in the Champions League against Galatasaray (1-0 win).

“It’s very special that I’ve now said out loud that I’m ending my career. There are so many things that I’m proud of, that I’ve achieved through football,” Boilesen said in a message on Copenhagen’s club website.

“But I also have to admit that I thought it could have been more games if I hadn’t been injured so much. That’s also the reason why I’m retiring now. It hurts to say goodbye to something that I enjoyed every day. But I feel lucky to have been given this unique opportunity.”

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield