Sheffield United icon Billy Sharp announces retirement after incredible career
Former Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp has announced his retirement.
Sheffield United legend Billy Sharp has announced his retirement from football at the age of 40.
The former striker made the announcement live on Sky Sports ahead of Southampton’s clash with their arch-rivals Portsmouth at St Mary’s on Sunday lunchtime. Sharp, who had a spell at Southampton during his playing career, was at St Mary’s as a pundit.
Sharp had been without a club since leaving Doncaster Rovers at the end of last season. He signed off in style in his final game for the club, scoring a hat-trick against Peterborough United to help Grant McCann’s side secure a 3-1 victory and end the 2025/26 campaign on a high.
Sharp, who finished his career with 299 goals to his name, returned to Doncaster for a fourth spell in June 2024. He helped the club win promotion back to League One in the 2024/25 season, scoring nine league goals as Rovers claimed the League Two title. He scored 14 goals in all competitions for Rovers last season.
Announcing his retirement, Sharp, who played for a total of ten clubs during his career, told Sky Sports: “I’m going to hang my boots up. I gave it a good run, got a long way and made it to 40. I wanted to do it on my own terms and have a choice.
“I’ve seen many friends have their careers cut short by injuries and things like that. I wanted to go out with a bang and, luckily for me, I scored a hat-trick in my last-ever appearance.
“People have been saying, ‘Do you want to get that 300th goal?’ And do you know what, it would have been lovely to get a 300th goal on that day, but I've had an unbelievable career.
“I love football. I’m very passionate. Maybe I wasn’t the most talented player, and maybe I wasn’t the most liked on the pitch, but that’s because I love football. I’m passionate, and I think I’ve got every single bit out of my career.”
Sharp, who made a lasting legacy on the game, made 377 appearances across three spells with the Blades, scoring 129 goals. He also won promotion three times with United, helping them escape League One in 2016/17 and the Championship in 2018/19 and 2022/23.