Former Scotland and Aberdeen defender Mikey Devlin has announced his retirement from professional football at age 32.
He had been without a club for six months after being released by Ayr United in the summer.
Devlin made his professional debut with Hamilton, where he racked up almost 150 appearances in a seven-year spell, before joining Aberdeen in 2018.
He won his three Scotland caps in October and November 2019, but was blighted by injuries in the final five years of his career, including stints at Hibernian and Livingston.
Confirming his retirement on LinkedIn, external, Devlin wrote: “After a lot of reflection and contemplation, I feel ready for it. To walk away from a job that was my dream, something I loved deeply and my identity for vast majority of my life was, and is, a challenge. That being said, not only do I feel ready, I feel excited about what’s next.
“I’m incredibly proud of what I achieved in my career. Without doubt, representing my country is the highlight.
“The highs and lows are expected, to a degree, but football has the potential to take you to places mentally which you don’t have the capacity to make sense of. This was certainly the greatest challenge I faced personally.
“I consider myself unbelievably fortunate to have experienced what I have throughout my 16 years as a professional. I played for brilliant clubs and worked with amazing people.”
Devlin will continue as chair of PFA Scotland where he also takes on a new full-time role as head of projects, adding: “I hope my lived experience as a player can influence and guide me as I seek to support and drive change for every other footballer in Scotland.”
