Arsenal star no longer feels the motivation to carry on with his professional football career, and is considering his options for the future.
Arsenal playmaker Andrey Arshavin may announce his retirement from football at the end of the season, according to the London Evening Standard.
The former Russia captain will turn 32 in May, and has reportedly lost his appetite for the game.
Arshavin hasn’t played for his country since criticising Russian fans after the team’s UEFA Euro 2012 exit at the group stage, and has barely featured for Arsenal in the current campaign either, having gone to former club Zenit St Petersburg on loan in the second half of the previous season.
In fact, except for a surprise half time appearance for a Gunners shadow side as they attempted to salvage a point in their Champions League loss to Olympiakos, Arshavin’s longest appearance on the pitch in any Premier League or European match this season has been a 16 minute cameo appearance against Norwich City in September 2012.
With little chance of selection, it is no wonder that Arshavin’s motivation for football is not quite what it was, though perhaps he could have played elsewhere if he’d been willing to drop his £95,000 per week wages.
Whilst more determined players might have shown fight in such circumstances, perhaps at 32 years of age, Arshavin no longer feels the need to prove himself – whether at Emirates Stadium or at another club.
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