Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jermaine Jenas retires from football

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Jermaine Jenas, announced that he has retired as a professional footballer today.

Jenas, 32, was a very promising talent as a young prospect, but injuries hindered his journey of fulfilling that potential throughout his career.

"I have officially retired," he said. "I tried my best to come back from the knee injury but unfortunately that is the end of my career."

-Jermaine Jenas; Source: BBC Sport

Including Spurs, Jenas played for five different English clubs during his 15-year career as a professional. That list includes: Nottingham Forrest, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Queens Park Rangers. He also represented the England national team 21 times scoring a goal in the process.

His scoring record for Spurs is an admirable one. He tallied 21 goals in 155 appearances for the club. Not too shabby for a midfielder.

His tale will be a cautionary one for years to come. High expectations being unfulfilled isn't a new phenomenon in the world of sport. Many of great prospects have fell by the wayside for various reasons. Jenas will go down as a "what could have been" and that's a little sad.

One person who is likely extremely sad today is the guy who lost a £10 bet that Jermaine Jenas would win the Ballon d'Or someday. Tough luck, sir. It was worth a shot.

In 2003, one of my friends bet me £10 that Jermaine Jenas would win the Ballon d'Or. He's refusing to pay up because "there's still time"

— Matthew Stanger (@MatthewStanger) February 2, 2013