'The memories I’ve made, the dreams I’ve lived — they are beyond anything I could have imagined' - says former Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall and Stoke City forward Lee Gregory after announcing retirement from football
Striker Lee Gregory has announced his retirement from professional football after a distinguished career in the EFL.
The 37-year-old scored over 200 goals in all competitions during his career, including 11 for Stags in 26 appearances across two spells, and has now called time on his career following a knee injury.
Gregory finishes his professional career at the club at which he started, after signing from Staveley Miners Welfare in 2009.
Gregory said: “Retiring from the game was something I never wanted to think about, but the time has finally come.
“After every kick, every laugh, every heartbreak, I’ve come to terms with it and am retiring from professional football.
“I honestly thought this day would never come. Football has been my life, my passion, my identity.
“The memories I’ve made, the dreams I’ve lived — they are beyond anything I could have imagined.
“Playing out the dream I’d thought about since I was little, it has truly been the best job in the world. Even saying this now makes my heart ache and makes me want to keep going. But my body is telling me it is time.
“For my health, for my future, for the life I want to live with my family, I have to stop, and that’s okay, because endings make room for new beginnings.
“I want to thank every club I’ve played for, every teammate who pushed me, every coach who believed in me, and every fan who cheered me on. Not forgetting my non-league days, which were just as good, just as important, and shaped me into the player and person I am today.
“Football has given me everything — and now I carry it forward in my life, in my family, and in everything I do next.
“From the bottom of my heart, I have loved it. Thank you.”
From One Call Stadium, he joined Halifax Town, where he scored 95 goals – earning the Sheffield-born striker a move to Millwall in 2014.
At the Den, he continued his exceptional goalscoring form, netting 77 times and winning promotion from League One via the play-offs in 2016/17, scoring 18 times that season.
The striker completed a move to Stoke City in 2019, before enjoying a loan spell at Derby County in 2021.
Gregory then joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2021 on a permanent transfer and won promotion back to the Championship in 2022/23.
The prolific goalscorer returned to One Call Stadium last summer to crown an excellent career, scoring 10 times in 20 league appearances, helping Stags retain their third-tier status for the first time in 35 years.