I haven’t been good enough — Ex-Man United goalie Ben Foster

Former Manchester United goalkeeper, Ben Foster has officially retired from professional football following his brief stint at Wrexham.

Speaking on his reason behind the decision to retire, the former Red Devils’ goalkeeper gave a rather honest assessment of his performances so far at the club.

According to Ben Foster, he realized following his recent performances that he no longer met the standards he wanted to be at to play for Wrexham.

“The honest truth is that my performances this season haven’t reached the level I demand of myself and I feel that now is the right time to retire,” he said.

“At the forefront of my mind when making this decision, was not only what was best for me but also the Club, and making the decision now gives the Club every opportunity to assess their options before the window closes.” the ex-Manchester United player was quoted telling the club on its official website.

The 40-year-old during the height of his professional career, made over 550 senior appearances at club level, having played for Manchester United, Birmingham, West Brom, Watford and Wrexham.

The England star is now popularly known for his podcast, ‘The Cycling GK’ which he hosts as he took the switch to becoming a content creator prior to his retirement.

Ben Foster made 12 appearances for the Welsh club, playing a key role in their promotion to League 2 after a heroic penalty save at the 97th minute against Notts County last April.

A few months after, the former Watford star played behind the sticks for Wrexham as they conceded 5 goals versus Swindon, with the game supposedly playing a part in Foster’s ultimate decision to hang the gloves for good.

Ben Foster had previously announced his retirement after leaving Watford following their relegation to the Championship, but came out of retirement to play for Wrexham in the middle of the 2022/23 campaign.

Taking to Instagram on Monday morning, the YouTuber told his fans:

“I think the timing is right. Sometimes you’ve just got to be brutally honest with yourself and just admit that you can’t really do what you used to do. It’s a shame, but I think being 40 years old. it’s kind of expected as well.

“I feel like there’s probably been about four or five goals already this season that I should be saving. It’s weird because goals are going in and I’m thinking, ‘You should have saved that. How haven’t you saved that?’

“That’s the reason why I’m retiring. I just know I can’t do what I used to do. Like I say, it’s a shame but that’s the way it goes. It comes to us all. There’s no shame in admitting that.”