Former Celtic defender Daniel Church was forced to retire from football at just 25 after a leading specialist told him his career was over. The former Hoops youngster, who once attracted interest from Manchester United, revealed he paid for a consultation in London where doctors identified a lower spine problem that was causing his recurring leg injuries.
Speaking to Record Sport, Church explained that after three years of constant injuries, no physio could work out what was wrong. He visited a specialist who had treated top players including Virgil van Dijk and Jude Bellingham. The specialist reviewed his MRI scans and found the issue, but the news was not good.
Specialist's verdict ends career
Church said: "He was a top guy who looked into all my MRI scans and stuff and basically identified a problem with my lower spine that was causing all these injuries in my legs. He advised that it was either pay £23,000 for a surgery that was only going to get me an extra couple of years of football or give it up now."
The specialist warned of the risks and said it was time to stop. Church admitted the news was a shock, especially when the doctor said: "You do realise that you're at the end of the road here? You've obviously thought about that?" Church replied that he had always planned to get back, making the flight home from London difficult.
Celtic trophy day memory
Despite never playing a first-team match for Celtic, Church has cherished memories, including being on the bench on Trophy Day in 2019 as Neil Lennon's squad secured eight-in-a-row with a 2-1 win over Hearts. He received a medal and recalled the surreal experience of hearing his name called out.
He said: "Even when it came to the trophy at the end, I started to hang back because I thought I'm not obviously getting a medal here. The announcers were reading out everyone's name and I was at the back of the queue. Then you hear your name getting shouted out and you go up and get a medal and stuff. It was a crazy, crazy experience."
Church also kept a screenshot from Sky Sports showing his name on the ticker tape as Manchester United monitored him. He had a chance to join Brentford before signing his second contract but chose to stay at Celtic.
New career as barber
After retiring, Church completed a six-month course to become a barber at Cut 17 in Linlithgow. He now plans to get into coaching, starting at academy level and building experience before eventually aiming for a manager's role.
