Rickie Lambert reveals ongoing back trouble was the reason he hung up his boots and turned down Wigan contract
The ex-Southampton star had been receiving epidurals to subside back pain for several years. He rejected the offer of a one year contract for fear of further damage to his back.
RICKIE LAMBERT has revealed that degeneration in the lower discs in his back forced him to retire from football.
The 35-year-old announced that he was leaving the game just a week ago and had described playing for Liverpool and Southampton as 'beyond my wildest' dreams.
With offers of a one-year contract from Wigan Athletic on the table, Lambert took the decision to hang up his boots for fear he was causing further damage to his back.
Roy Hodgson, who had given Lambert his first England cap, was also keen to bring the striker to Crystal Palace, but Lambert was adamant that lying on the floor after training to prevent his back from seizing up was not a lifestyle he wanted to continue.
In an interview with the Mail, Lambert spoke of the regular epidural injections he had received and numerous procedures that had been carried out in order to prolong his football career.
He said: "I've had problems for a few years. It was affecting my movement and power.
"And while I maybe could have gone on for another year, you don't know how much damage you've already done."
Lambert also admitted that lack of game time at Liverpool and West Brom impacted his enjoyment of football and changed his game.
Painfully, he admits that playing for his boyhood club Liverpool deprived him of regular football.
Lambert was competing with the likes of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge for a space in the team, playing second-fiddle caused him to fall out of love with the profession.
It was the amount of time that Lambert spent on the bench or injured, that hampered his enjoyment, he said: “I was getting well paid but I never started playing football for the money."
He admitted that there was a shift mentally during this period and it impacted him negatively.
The footballer who is hailed as a Southampton legend never believed that he could break into the Premier League, but managed that feat at the age of 30.
Most read in football
His career spans 19 years and boasts 241 goals, but he has Alan Pardew to thank for a shift in attitude and his playing style.
Lambert recalls his time playing for Southampton and clocking up 30 goals in 45 league games but still not impressing Pardew.
Pardew had scolded the striker and called him a disgrace as he didn't take the game seriously enough by leading an unhealthy lifestyle and following a destructive diet.
He said: "When I got fit, I was suddenly two steps ahead. My career roc
keted as a result."