"High Priest" goodbye! At the age of 36, Vermalen officially retired and won 20 titles in his career

Because of his "sucking wounds and lying on the crown" at Barca, Vermalen was jokingly called the "high priest" by Chinese fans. Today, the 36-year-old "high priest" officially bid farewell to football. On Friday, local time, the Belgian Football Association officially announced that Vermalen officially retired and joined the coaching staff of the Belgian national team.

Wilmålen, who played as centre-back, debuted at the Ajax Academy, played for Arsenal in 2009-2014 and served as Gunners captain. Between 2014 and 2019, Vermalen played for Barca, where he was loaned to Roma in the 16/17 season. After bidding farewell to Barca in 2019, Vermalen joined Japanese side Victory Ship Kobe. Now, Vermalen has officially retired from the boots.

During his club career, Vermaulen won a total of 20 trophies. At Ajax, Vermalen won 1 Eredivisie title, 2 Dutch Cups and 2 Dutch Super Cups. At Arsenal, Vermalen won the FA Cup with the team in the 13/14 season. At Barcelona, Vermalen won four La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey, one In the Western Super Cup, one in the Champions League, one in the UEFA Super League and two in the Club World Cup. While playing in Japan, he won 1 Emperor's Cup and 1 Super Cup.

In the national team, Vermalen scored 2 goals in 85 appearances. Vermalen did not win the championship in the national team, but became the third place in the World Cup with the team in 2018.

Immediately after retiring from retirement, Vermalen became an assistant coach for the Belgian national team. "I'm very much looking forward to this challenge and I feel very happy and honored." Vermalen said, "I am very grateful to be Martinez's assistant to prepare for the World Cup. Manager Martinez also welcomed Vermalen: "His extraordinary experience at the club and national team will be a great asset for us. He showed an understanding and passion for the team while attending coaching sessions, which naturally helped him transition from player status to coaching status. We are happy for him. ”