Philippines star announces retirement on birthday

Recently, midfielder of the Philippine national team, Stephan Schrock, decided to retire on his 37th birthday.

Schrock in the Philippines jersey at the 2019 Asian Cup. Photo: AFC

Sharing on his personal Facebook page recently, Schrock posted the status: “Today, I am very grateful to my friends and fans who contacted me and wished me a happy birthday. And today is also the day I decided to end my professional football career.”

In the same post, Schrock did not forget to express his gratitude to the important people in his life: “I would like to thank my mother, who gave wings to my football career. I would like to thank my wife Pina, who has always been a strong supporter. And I would also like to express my gratitude to all the coaches and teammates I have worked with. Everyone has made my career interesting. It has been a wonderful journey. It has been a great honor to represent both Germany and the Philippines.”

There are many Filipino players who are of mixed nationality. As for Schrock, he was born in Germany to a German father and a Filipino mother. Schrock's parents divorced when he was young, and his Filipino mother worked very hard to nurture her son's football dreams.

Schrock faces legendary Ribery's Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Photo: Getty

Schrock has played for famous Bundesliga clubs such as Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt. He also played for the U18, U19 and U20 teams of Germany. In 2011, Schrock decided to return to represent his mother country, the Philippines. Since then, he has played for the Philippines 61 times, scoring 6 goals.

Notably, this is the second time Schrock has announced his retirement. He decided to hang up his boots in June 2023 but then returned to the field thanks to the persuasion of coach Michael Weiss. But perhaps, at the age of 37, this will truly be Schrock's farewell to his football career.

HOANG DIEP

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ngoi-sao-tuyen-philippines-tuyen-bo-giai-nghe-trong-ngay-sinh-nhat-post755294.html