Billy Sharp sets his sights on playing well beyond 40 as he shows no sign of winding down his playing career.
Billy Sharp has only once considered retirement during a phenomenal playing career spanning 21 years, 283 goals and 10 different clubs .
A Nottingham Forest supporter assaulted the striker three years ago at the City Ground following Sheffield United’s play-off loss.
The prolific goal scorer did not, however, come close to retiring at that time.
He only gave packing it all in serious consideration a year later, in 2023, when he was 37 years old.
After three stints with his local team, where he scored 129 goals in 377 games, he was recently released by Sheffield United, the team he had grown up cheering for.
“I’d had three promotions with them,” adds Sharp, who has scored in the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two.3
“That was the only kit I wanted to wear. I just wanted to play for Sheffield United. When I was released I asked myself ‘is it time to retire?’.”
After a brief stint with LA Galaxy, which included a hat-trick against Minnesota United, Sharp returned to love the game he had loved for so long after travelling to the United States to overcome that significant setback.
“Going to LA Galaxy made me realise I still love scoring goals, I still love playing football. That’s why I’m still playing now,” he tells BBC Sport.
“The heartache of not playing for Sheffield United gave me an opportunity to experience another league and another team, who I really enjoyed playing for.”
Five days after celebrating his 39th birthday, Sharp, who is currently on his fourth stint at Doncaster Rovers, hopes to upset the odds when the League Two team hosts Premier League Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fourth round on Monday.
“I’ve no plans to retire,” adds the veteran of more than 600 league games.