West Ham captain Mark Noble announced last season that this would be his last season as a professional player. Called to speak to journalists ahead of the Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt, the 34-year-old midfielder assumed that not even an eventual European title would change his mind.
“If winning the Europa League will it change my decision? No and this is my honest answer. It would, indeed, be a very special career ending. What I told the lads the other day is that if we win the Europa League, I’m going back to watch the Champions League games, sitting on the bench with the trophy by my side. [n.d.r. o vencedor da Liga Europa garante presença na fase de grupos da Champions]», he explained to journalists.
Formed at West Ham, Mark Noble has served 16 of his 18 years as a professional at West Ham, with the exception of loans to Hull and Ipswich, in 2005 and 2006. In total, he has 546 games and 62 goals for the Londoners.
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