"I have been keeping fit but it is edging towards that way, and happily as well," Séamus Coleman told the BBC, and the line sounds exactly like a player who has started to accept the end is closer than the start of another move. He is 38, has been without a club since leaving Everton at the end of last season, and has not played since the Republic of Ireland's friendly in Canada in June.
Coleman’s view on what comes next
"Regarding what's next, I've enjoyed family time, I'm doing this now and I seem to enjoy it, so we will see how it goes. It's just an open book at the minute," Coleman said. That is a long way from a retirement announcement, but it is also not the language of a player expecting many more seasons. The longer he has been away from football, the more content he says he feels with family life, including time back home for Halloween break with the kids.
The former Everton defender had once hoped to keep playing until Euro 2028, when the Republic of Ireland will be one of the host nations. That ambition now sounds less certain, especially with a summer link to Sheffield United already behind him and no club taking shape around him.
The Everton record he leaves behind
The end of his career conversation also brings a reminder of what he leaves behind at Everton. Coleman spent 17 years on Merseyside after leaving at the end of last season and made a club-record 374 Premier League appearances for the club.
He also has 81 international caps for the Republic of Ireland, which gives some sense of how much football is behind him already. The record is still there, the future is not fixed, and Coleman has said as much while weighing whether to keep going.
The last concrete marker is his June appearance for the Republic of Ireland in Canada. After that, the decision he has left open is whether there is another chapter at all.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
