14-goal Newcastle United star & ex-Chelsea man announces retirement from football aged 36

A former Newcastle United and France star has announced his decision to retire from football at the age of 36. Loic Remy arrived at Newcastle United in the summer of 2013 and is remembered as one of the club’s most successful loan signings in recent years.

The striker began his career at Lyon, before making a name for himself in Ligue 1 during successful spells at both Nice and Marseille, where he would win two French League Cups. Remy was blessed with excellent pace and an eye for goal and this talent prompted interest from Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew, who had built a reputation for signing French talent during his time in charge of the club.

Newcastle looked to be in pole position to sign Remy in January 2013 as they battled to avoid relegation to the Championship, but the Frenchman ultimately opted to join big-spending QPR who offered him higher wages, according to reports at the time.

Remy made his way to Tyneside six months later in a loan deal as QPR adapted to life in the second-tier of English football. Remy was the only signing of the summer as ex-Magpies boss Joe Kinnear acted as the club’s director of football, but he proved to be an instant hit on Tyneside and was a huge part of the club’s team that season.

Overall, Remy scored 14 Premier League goals in 26 appearances for Newcastle. He is remembered fondly by fans for match-winning goals against the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa as his team recorded a 10th place finish in the league.

It ultimately proved to be one of just three times that Newcastle finished inside the top half during Mike Ashley’s tenure as owner. Talks of a permanent switch for Remy dominated the headlines in the next transfer window, but the player ultimately completed a move to Chelsea on deadline day and helped the club achieve a Premier League and League Cup double in his first season.

Remy spent two years of his career as a back-up striker at Stamford Bridge and was briefly loaned out to Crystal Palace. The striker left English football to join Las Palmas in 2017 and spent the final six years of his career playing for the likes of Getafe, Lille, Caykur Rizespor, Adana Demirspor and Brest.

The 36-year-olds career was heavily blighted by injuries in his later years. But he still boasts an impressive record of 140 goals in 407 competitive fixtures and scored seven goals from 30 international caps for France.