South Africa’s Steven Pienaar announces retirement from professional football

Former South African international Steven Pienaar has announced his retirement from professional football.

The midfielder was last on the books of Absa Premiership champions Bidvest Wits, but was released in the January transfer window.


He announced his retirement on SABC Sport on Wednesday night, and also posted a video on his official Twitter page.

“Obviously I want to focus on the next step in my career, but I also want to be closer with my family, including my mom who’s not getting any younger,” Pienaar told Soccerladuma after the announcement.

“I’ve missed so many years to be with them all, so now I’ve finally got a chance. I just want to enjoy every moment that I can spend with my mom and my kids as well.

“I’ll be between South Africa and Amsterdam now. That’s how I’ve planned it. I have a daughter and my mom here, and two daughters that side, so I need to balance it out. So we’ll just have to see how it goes in the next few months and take it from there.”

Pienaar represented the likes of Everton, Sunderland, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax Amsterdam and Tottenham Hotspur in his club career, while on the international front he amassed 61 senior caps and represented South Africa at two World Cups, the Confederations Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.