Former Everton captain Seamus Coleman has revealed he is contemplating retiring from professional football, conceding that while he is not ready to officially draw a line under his playing days, his career is drifting towards an end. The 38-year-old defender has been without a club since his 17-year tenure on Merseyside concluded at the end of last season, having not featured on the pitch since representing the Republic of Ireland in a friendly against Canada in June.
Coleman, who turned down a coaching contract offer at Everton to prolong his playing career and was linked with Sheffield United during the summer, discussed his situation during an appearance on the Overlap Fan Debate with Jamie Carragher. The veteran full-back acknowledged that keeping fit on his own has been "hard for many reasons" both mentally and physically, noting that solo sessions lack the ball work of regular club training while admitting his trajectory is "edging towards that way, and happily as well."
The defender, who holds the Everton club record with 374 Premier League appearances, had originally set targets to extend his international journey beyond his current 81 caps, aiming to continue until Euro 2028 when Ireland will be one of the host nations. Although Coleman was not included in the Republic of Ireland squad for the recent Nations League quadruple-header, manager Heimir Hallgrimsson stated that the player intended to keep playing and that he hoped to feature him in upcoming international camps.
However, while spending time back in his native Donegal—where he has been training with local Gaelic football outfit Killybegs—Coleman feels increasingly satisfied with life away from the pitch. Describing his future as an "open book," he explained that prolonged time at home with his children over the Halloween break has left him content with his current path, even as he weighs up whether to finally hang up his boots.