The former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has finally decided to hang his boots up after realising that he will never again play competitive football. He came to Arsenal as an extremely promising 20 year-old with the expectation of being the new Vieira, and for a change he did actually live up to the hype. But after just five months at the club he suffered a horrendous tackle from the Sunderland defender Dan Smith, which effectively was the catalyst that ended his chances to go on and play at the highest level. Although he did manage to play a couple of nearly full seasons for the Gunners, the constant injuries meant that he only played 32 games in his last five years with us.
Wenger could not justify a new contract for Diaby in the end, and he was taken in by his old club Marseille but despite their best efforts at further rehabilitation, he only managed 5 starts in the first two seasons before he needed yet another operation, and he hasn’t been able to play for the last two seasons either.
Now, at the age of 32, and with just 139 League games played in his 15-year career, he has finally given up the ghost. He said: “I am bringing an end to my professional career. It is the right time.
“For a number of years it has been difficult for me to return, with a lot of physical problems.
“It is a difficult decision but I have thought a lot about my decision and I am at ease with it. After Marseille, I gave myself a year to come back but it was harder than I thought, and I have decided to stop.”
You have to admire his resilence and his heart to have kept trying for so long, and it is very sad that such a talented player was never really given the chance to showcase his prodigious talents.
Well good luck Abou, and we hope you have success in whatever you decide to do with the rest of your life….
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