COVENTRY-born Andy Goode has called time on his hugely successful and record-breaking rugby career after failing to recover from a persistent injuries.
The 35-year-old, who was capped 17 times for England, made 199 appearances for Leicester Tigers during two spells at Welford.
He also played for Saracens and Worcester before joining Wasps in 2013 where he became the second highest points-scorer in Premiership history with 2,147.
Goode also set a new record for points scoring in an individual match on his Ricoh arena debut last year when he scored 33 against London Irish.
But after agree to a move to London Irish over the summer, Goode has been unable to recover from a string of injuries and has made the emotional decision to hang up his boots.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I have to announce my retirement from rugby,” said Goode.
“After 17 years of playing the game I love, my mind is willing, my body, after two operations in the summer unfortunately isn’t.
“Rugby has been unbelievable to me over my career and I’ve enjoyed some incredible highs and always tried to play, train, talk and live it with a smile on my face.
“I’ve been fortunate to play in some brilliant teams for some amazing clubs. To represent England 17 times is such an honour and something I’ll look back on with pride. My ten years at Leicester – winning the Premiership five times, the Heineken Cup twice and the Anglo Welsh Cup – were more than I could ever have wished for.
“My spell at Saracens was enjoyable and the experiences of playing abroad, in France for Brive and in South Africa for the Sharks, were opportunities I feel privileged to have had.
“My time at Worcester and the support from the fans was great and to finish off with two memorable seasons with Wasps, helping the club return to the Champions Cup, being part of the move to my hometown of Coventry, playing at the Ricoh Arena, breaking the individual points record on my home debut and finishing with the Golden Boot, are memories that will stay with me forever.
“I can honestly say I’ve loved playing for every team and feel immensely proud to have achieved what I have at each club. It’s been an honour to pull on my jersey week in week out with some characters that will be mates for life. We’ve had wins and loses, laughter, stories and beers along the way and these are the things I’ll remember with a smile!”