Ex-Man City star forced to retire due to chronic pain leaving him unable to walk
Former Manchester City winger Jesus Navas, 38, has an arthritic hip which is so painful that he struggles to sleep and can sometimes barely walk in between matches
by Felix Keith · The MirrorJesus Navas has conceded that he has no option but to call time on his remarkable career in December due to “intense” chronic pain.
Navas has enjoyed impressive longevity throughout his playing career, making a club-record 692 appearances for his home-town club Sevilla. He will turn 39 years old in November but is still faithfully putting in performances for Sevilla, despite his body telling him to stop.
The former Manchester City winger, who now more frequently plays as a right-back, has an arthritic hip which makes even day-to-day tasks difficult. Last Thursday he couldn’t sleep because he was in so much pain and could barely walk yet, by Saturday morning, he had declared himself fit to make his first start of the season against Getafe in La Liga – and miraculously, he scored the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win before being substituted to ice his hip.
But Navas knows he is approaching the end of his time on the pitch for Sevilla, where he has spent 17 years in the first team, with four successful years with City sandwiched in between. After the emotional scenes at the Sanchez Pizjuan, Navas laid bare just how bad things have become physically.
“I've been in this situation for four years,” he told Canal Sur Radio. “It is wearing you down, it's getting worse, it is getting more and more continuous, more intense. It's complicated, when you finish a game, I haven't been able to walk for two or three days, which becomes complicated.
“For me, these six months were a very big challenge. I wanted to be with the team. I hope I can make it until December because every game starts to be difficult. I can't take it anymore, it's a health issue. There are days when I can't be with my children. I have it decided.”
Navas came close to leaving Sevilla in May before the club president Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco backtracked and offered him a lifetime contract. It was agreed that Navas would continue playing until the end of 2024, with his wages going to the club’s charitable foundation, before hanging up his boots and moving into an off-pitch role.
“Not for a second have I hesitated to answer in the affirmative to the proposal made by the president of my Sevilla,” Navas said at the time. “Yes, I want to retire at Nervion. I want to continue playing for my Sevilla. I willingly accept to continue to be linked to the club that I am in love with. My wish, and this is what I have told the president, is to continue playing until December in a transition to help the team.”
Navas’ final game will likely be on December 22, away against Real Madrid. Whatever happens between now and then, he will retire as a legend, having helped Sevilla win four Europa League titles and two Copa del Reys, as well as two European Championships and the World Cup with Spain.
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