Former Rangers midfield prodigy Lewis MacLeod has announced his retirement at the age of just 28 after a series of long-term injuries wreaked havoc on his footballing career.
MacLeod joined Rangers from Livingston in 2004 as a 10-year-old, and worked his way through the ranks at Murray Park as one of the academy's shining lights before being named on the first-team bench at the age of 17. With Rangers subsequently suffering severe ignominy just months later by having a transfer embargo imposed as they went into administration, MacLeod and many of his young teammates were afforded the chance to play for the club as they aimed to rise from the fourth-tier back to the summit of the league.
Registering an assist on his debut and going on to feature for the Gers in steps two, three AND four of the Scottish Professional Football League, the Wishaw-born star seemingly had a huge career ahead of him despite a number of injuries ruling him out for months at a time before he moved to Brentford in 2015.
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However, his time at Griffin Park was blighted by injury, making just 43 appearances in four-and-a-half-years; and with problems still mounting in following spells at Wigan Athletic and Plymouth Argyle, the Scotland youth international has announced his retirement - opening up on the hell he endured and how he could have achieved greatness had he remained fit.
“The surgeons told me they have exhausted all avenues, apart from another op - but they had no idea if it would work or benefit me at all," MacLeod stated.
“I’m still relatively young to quit playing football. But with perhaps another year out after surgery, with no idea how it’s going to go, if I’m going to do other things it’s taking another year out of that.
“I’ve always been injury-prone, if you want to say that. It was never small injuries, all for long periods of time. A grade three hamstring tear, a heart problem, a torn ACL and torn medial ligament. You almost prepare yourself for the worst and think your career may end early.
“Honestly, I’ve had that fear from when I left Rangers. When I eventually got fit, I always had it in my mind that I was never the same as before.
“I’ve prepared myself for this. I’ve still got a love for football. I’d like to be involved in some capacity, recruitment or coaching. I feel I’ve a lot to give the game. I don’t know how soon that will be. For the last 18 months I’ve been dedicated to rehab. Now it’s a transitional period and about seeing what I want to do.”
“One thing that annoys me was the timing it all started to happen and the realisation I was never going to reach the levels I should have reached. I was playing really well for Rangers, and got a Scotland call-up. Just being around the national team, showing I could handle that, was great. But that’s all about what could have been. I did my hamstring just after and that killed me.”
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