Forward Iain Hume, whose soccer profession took him from England to India with 43 Canadian caps alongside the best way, has formally confirmed his retirement.
The 39-year-old’s final membership was India’s FC Pune City, which he left in June 2019. More lately he has served as a TV analyst for OneSoccer and as head coach of Woodstock FC.
He didn’t formally name it quits as a participant, nonetheless, till this week in a social media publish.
Born in Edinburgh to Scottish dad and mom, Hume got here to Canada when he was one. Growing up in Brampton, Ont., he left for England as a youngster to pursue his soccer dream. He labored his approach by the youth ranks at Tranmere Rovers, turning into the English membership’s youngest ever participant at 16 years, 167 days in an April 2000 sport in opposition to Swindon.
In 2003, he helped lead Canada on a fairy-tale run to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup within the United Arab Emirates the place he, together with midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, was named to the match all-star group.
A 500,000-pound ($783,655) transfer took him to Leicester City in 2005 earlier than stops in Barnsley and Preston North End and mortgage spells with Doncaster Rovers and Fleetwood Town.
He went on to play in Spain for SD Ponferradina and Extremadura UD and in India for Kerala Blasters FC, ATK and FC Pune City.
He first heard of the Indian League from a contract journalist who handed on a contact. Hume gave the quantity to his agent, not pondering something would come from it, and inside two weeks he had been drafted by Kerala.
Hume made headlines enjoying for Barnsley in November 2008, when he was caught by an elbow from Sheffield United’s Chris Morgan as each went for a excessive ball.
Hume was substituted after the collision and was despatched house with what the membership thought was a concussion. The subsequent day, nonetheless, he was speaking gibberish and his household took him to hospital the place he underwent emergency surgical procedure for inside bleeding and a fractured cranium.
There was an extended restoration interval, leaving Hume with a horseshoe-shaped scar from his left ear to the entrance of his brow.
He missed the remainder of the 2008-09 season and noticed little motion within the 2009-10 marketing campaign however ultimately returned to motion and located a brand new lease of life in soccer.
Hume introduced his retirement 14 years to the day after the incident.
“Four years in the past at the moment, my life modified. Fortunately, it did not finish,” he wrote. “My wonderful household and buddies saved me going when issues have been at their lowest and for that I’m eternally grateful. I really like you all for being there for me, and I would not have continued doing what I cherished for so long as I did, if it wasn’t for all of you.
“Now that the enjoying aspect of my life has ended, I’m now lucky sufficient to have moved on to the following chapter,” he added.
Just 5 foot seven, Hume was a bundle of vitality on the sector, exhibiting his patriotism at occasions by having the Maple Leaf dyed into his hair.
He was provided the possibility to check out for the Scottish under-17 group however selected Canada and went on to make 43 worldwide “A” appearances from 2003 to 2016.
He got here off the bench in October 2012 in San Pedro Sula to attain Canada’s lone purpose in an 8-1 drubbing by the hands of Honduras that ended Canada’s World Cup qualifying run.
He represented Canada in three cycles of World Cup qualifying and at three Gold Cups.
Hume performed greater than 600 aggressive matches and scored greater than 140 targets throughout each his skilled and worldwide profession, together with 54 targets in 204 profession matches in England’s Championship and one other 33 targets in 125 profession matches in England’s League One.
He scored one other 25 targets in 62 profession matches within the Indian Super League, successful the 2014 Best Player award and the 2016 Indian Super League Championship. He scored his final aggressive purpose March 2, 2019, for FC Pune City.
Hume earned his UEFA B Diploma Coaching Award from the Welsh FA in 2020. He plans to enrol within the Canada Soccer Coaching Program within the coming yr.