The Former Striker Of The Belgian And Manchester United National Team Is A Shoe Hanger

Marouane Fellaini while playing for Shandong Taishan. (Between/China Out/AFP/STR)

JAKARTA - Former Belgian national team player Marouane Fellaini announced on Saturday that he decided to retire three months after his contract at Chinese club Shandong Taishan expired.

"I am writing this to announce that after a career of 18 years, I have resigned from professional football," the 36-year-old wrote via his official Instagram account, quoted by Antara.

Fellaini made his professional debut at Standard Liege in 2006 before moving to Everton for a transfer value of 20 million euros. At that time, Fellaini's transfer value made him the most expensive player in the history of Belgian football.

After stealing the attention of TheToffeees fans, Fellaini then followed coach David Moyes to move to Manchester United in 2013.

At United, he helped the club win the FA Cup in 2016, as well as Europa League and the English League Cup in 2017. During his Red Devils uniform, Fellaini made 177 appearances and 22 goals.

In 2019, Fellaini was recruited by Chinese club Shandong Taishan, but he did not extend his contract in November. His last appearance was in the Chinese Cup final, when Shandong lost to Shanghai Shenhua.

Fellaini made 87 appearances for the Belgian national team, with a collection of 18 goals, and helped them finish third in the 2018 World Cup, before enjoying success in the Chinese League with Shandong.