One-cap Douglas retires from title-winning career
Former Scotland left-back Barry Douglas has officially announced he is retiring from "the playing side of the beautiful game", stressing his "immense pride" after a career during which he won league titles in England and Poland. The 36-year-old has been without a club since leaving St Johnstone following their relegation from the Scottish Premiership last summer. But, before then, he had twice won the Ekstraklasa, and the Polish Super Cup, with Lech Poznań, the Turkish Cup with Konyaspor and the Championship in England with both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United.
"In my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd make it as a professional footballer - never mind win multiple titles in different countries and go on to play almost 500 games," Douglas said on Instagram. "Now that I'm finally 'hanging up the boots', I can look back with immense pride, knowing I gave it everything I had. " In a time when the Scotland left-back spot was dominated by Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney, Douglas managed just one cap, as a substitute for the former in a 1-0 win over Hungary in 2018.
"Every kid grows up dreaming of playing for their country - so to have made that a reality is something I'll always be incredibly proud of," he said. Having started his career with Queen's Park, Douglas moved to Dundee United, Lech, Konyaspor, Wolves, Leeds and, after a loan to Blackburn Rovers, returned for a second title-winning spell with Lech before his final season with St Johnstone. Douglas paid special tribute to his wife, Debbie, saying his globetrotting career was "as much yours as it is mine".
"The truth is, without you by my side, I would never have achieved what I have," he added. "I'm forever grateful for your support, your sacrifices, and for taking that leap into the unknown when we first moved to Poland together to begin our adventure. "Now look at us - two beautiful kids, multiple winners' medals and memories that will last a lifetime.
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