Danny Murphy, Former Liverpool Hero, Retires

Danny Murphy Retires After 20 Years In Football

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has retired with immediate effect.

Murphy last played a professional match in Blackburn Rovers' 3-0 defeat to Cardiff on 1 April this year and has been without a club since the summer.

The 36-year-old has appeared as a pundit on Match of the Day this season, which makes the timing of his retirement unsurprising.

Murphy
(01 of18)
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Starting out at Crewe (credit:Getty)
(02 of18)
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Opening day of the 97/98 season in the Selhurst Park sun (credit:Getty)
(03 of18)
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Under-21 international (credit:Getty)
(04 of18)
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December 2000: The first of five winning goals against Manchester United (credit:Getty)
(05 of18)
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Helping Liverpool to their first FA Cup win in nine years (credit:Getty)
(06 of18)
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UEFA Cup winner in 2001 (credit:Getty)
(07 of18)
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England debut vs Sweden, November 2001 (credit:Getty Images)
(08 of18)
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Winner number two v United in January 2002 (credit:Getty)
(09 of18)
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Scoring for England against Paraguay in April 2002... (credit:Getty)
(10 of18)
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At Anfield (credit:Getty Images)
(11 of18)
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Winner number three v United in April 2004. Again, it came at Old Trafford (credit:Getty)
(12 of18)
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A rare outing for Tottenham (credit:Getty)
(13 of18)
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Slotting past Brad Friedel for Charlton (credit:Getty)
(14 of18)
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Mobbed on the final day of the 2007/08 season, as his goal keeps Fulham in the Premier League (credit:Getty)
(15 of18)
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Slotting past United for a fourth time in the white of Fulham (credit:Getty)
(16 of18)
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Silencing United fans for a fifth time (credit:Getty)
(17 of18)
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Watching on as Diego Forlan consigns Fulham to a Europa League final defeat in 2010 (credit:Getty)
(18 of18)
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A final outing at Cardiff, April 2013 (credit:PA)

"There have been some press reports about whether I’m still playing or available but I decided a little while ago I would retire, I just didn’t make it official," he told talkSPORT.

"So now I’m officially retiring because I’m sick of having conversations about it and almost stringing people along."

Murphy was a pivotal figure during Liverpool's five-trophy triumph in 2000-01, when the Reds won the League Cup, FA Cup, Uefa Cup, Charity Shield and Super Cup under Gérard Houllier. He left for Charlton in 2004.

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Murphy on his final professional appearance

Following a fruitful spell with the Addicks and a disastrous stint at Tottenham, he spent five years at Fulham, making 210 appearances and 28 goals for the Cottagers as they reached the 2010 Europa League final.

Murphy signed for Blackburn last year after Fulham decided against offering him an extension and played the remainder of his career in the Championship.

He played nine times for England, scoring once in a 4-0 friendly win over Paraguay.

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An injured Murphy heads home at Kasai Airport

The Crewe graduate was called up to England's 2002 World Cup squad as a replacement for injured club teammate Steven Gerrard, but had to withdraw after he suffered the metatarsal injury which had affected England captain David Beckham and scuppered Gary Neville's Japan and South Korea hopes.