Ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County striker announces fascinating new career and retirement at 32

Sam Winnall played 43 games for the Owls between 2017 and 2020, scoring six times and claiming two assists having sealed a January switch from South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley. He also played for the likes of Scunthorpe United, Barnsley, Derby County, Oxford United and Burton Albion in a career that counted 105 goals in total.

He has been out of contract since his release by the Brewers in the summer and posting on LinkedIn, he announced his retirement citing a host of reasons including injury woe that stunted his progress at S6. Winnall also announced that he is embarking on a career in psychotherapy, for which he has been studying towards for two years.

"From as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a professional footballer," he posted. "I had the dream, I lived the dream. Although it wasn’t the fairytale story of being Arsenal’s number nine or scoring for England, I made a living by putting the ball in the back of the net and nothing can ever replicate, replace or take away that feeling.

"So at 32, why now? Well the truth is the game has taken its toll on me the last couple of years. Aches, pains, injuries, rejection, broken promises, unpredictability and set backs made the job I once dreamed of doing into a negative part of my life. I love [the] game, I always will, but I know it’s time to walk away as a player."

Though his Hillsborough career wasn't as prolific as was hoped when he made the controversial transfer from Barnsley, Winnall is perhaps most warmly remembered by Wednesday supporters for a cheeky celebration in front of the Oakwell supporters who interrupted the match by throwing a 'Peppa Pig' soft toy onto the field during a 1-1 draw at Oakwell in the months after the switch.

In his LinkedIn announcement, Winnall continued: "There’s a lot of thankyous owed to those who helped me along the way! My team mates who made being a footballer fun every day, my managers and coaches who all taught me something (even the bad ones), the unsung hero staff who are the back bone of every football club, the fans who would give me goosebumps when they sang my name, my agent who represented me from day one, my friends who cheered me on all over the country and most of all my family and partner who supported me in every way possible every single day. Without them I would never of been able to have the career I did!"