After the season, Everton say goodbye to Seamus Coleman and everyone expected him to say goodbye to football as well, as he doesn’t have a club to play for. But then ahead of Ireland’s friendly against Qatar tonight, completely new signals came from the 37-year-old. (Ireland won 1 – 0)
“The club has been unbelievable to me,” the faithful servant said in a statement.
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In the winter of 2009, Everton signed full-back Seamus Coleman from Sligo Rovers, and the Irishman has remained at the club ever since, apart from a brief loan spell at Blackpool.
Now his playing career at the Liverpool club is almost over. The 37-year-old announces that he will leave Everton when his contract expires in just over a month.
“I want to thank the supporters for their incredible support. You have helped me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I’ve always tried to do my best to put Everton first, and you all mean everything to me. I live in the city – I see you every day – and I have brought your love for the football club into the dressing room to explain to the boys what Everton means to people,” he said in a statement.
“I also thank the coaches, teammates and all the staff at Everton.
Now Coleman will think about what happens next.
“After such a big decision, I will of course take time with my family this summer to focus on what is coming for me and my family. My love for Everton is something you all know, and I also have a great love for Ireland,” he says.
“The club has been unbelievable to me. They have offered me an opportunity to stay at the club. The coach and staff have been fantastic and I think that after such a decision for the future, I will take a long holiday and look back on an incredible time as a player at Everton.
Everton play their last home game of the season on Sunday, when Sunderland will be the opposition. Coleman has 28 goals and 29 assists in 433 appearances for the club.
The focus of Wednesday’s press conference in Abbotstown was on Coleman’s future club. Although his 17-year association with Everton is coming to an end, the right-back has confirmed that he hopes to play in Euro 2028 when Ireland’s three group stage matches are played in Dublin.
Coleman would have been 39 years old then, which is consistent with statements from his former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti, who said in 2020 that he had the work ethic to play into his 40s.
“If Carlo Ancelotti said that, I’m not going to contradict him,” Coleman said.
“Listen, I’ve been unlucky with some injuries, so maybe there aren’t as many miles on the clock as some other 37-year-olds. Physically, I’m not up and down like a 24-year-old, but I feel very good.
“It’s going to be a nice summer to sit down, relax, see how I’m feeling, reflect and see where we go next.”
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