An emotional Ben Sigmund thanked his wife for letting him "live out his dreams" in football as he announced his retirement from the game.
The Wellington Phoenix defender said retirement has been on his mind for the last 18 months, but recent jousts with giardia, concussion, a dodgy hamstring and ongoing injections to his painful hips had told him the time was right.
The 34-year-old thanked his wife Deanna for standing beside him during his career, touching on the premature birth of his son, Cameron while he was heading to the Football World Cup in 2010.
"I think [Deanna] deserves a huge pat on the back," said Sigmund, holding back tears.
"My boy was born at 24 weeks and she stayed behind and she looked after my boy while I was at the World Cup.
"She let me live my dream, and now I want to spend some time with her and the family."
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