Chelsea favorite Andre Schurrle retires too soon but at the right time

Former Chelsea player and fan favorite Andre Schurrle has retired at 29, just a day after being released by Dortmund. It was too soon but at the right time.

Andre Schurrle had what was once the privileged honor of being hand selected by Jose Mourinho for a transfer. He arrived at Chelsea in the 2013/2014 season and immediately won over fans with his enthusiasm for the club and his dynamic play.

That summer, he helped Germany win the World Cup. His cross to Mario Gotze created the winning goal in the final and his name was forever etched into the history books. But that year would be pivotal for the winger in a negative way as well.

That October, Schurrle got food poisoning. It seems a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but it so affected his body that he was never quite the same player. He was sold by Chelsea and he bounced around several German clubs in the following years. Most recently, he has been contracted to Dortmund who released him a year early on his contract. That was yesterday. Today he retired at 29.

A retirement that early is rarely a happy event but that does not mean it did not come at the right time for the player. Schurrle was one of the most enthusiastic Chelsea players. He was happy to simply be included. That trait continued at Wolfsburg, Dortmund, Fulham, and Spartak Moscow. But when a player like that says “the depths became deeper and the highlights less and less”, it is time to step back and support him in his decision.

For Schurrle, it was never about the accolades or the applause; it was a pure love of the game. But there is a strong mental weight that comes with the struggles he has faced. It is very hard to go from winning the World Cup while being on one of the world’s best club teams to struggling to find a spot at Spartak Moscow just a few years later. Simply put, the love of the game became just another job.

Mental health is not spoken about nearly enough when it comes to footballs. Fans and commentators alike are all too quick to judge a player without really seeing them as what they are; other human beings. This is not to say Schurrle got any of that, but it was surely not easy for him to be in the place he was with Dortmund. If he can be happier in retirement than he can be playing on in China, Turkey, the United States, or wherever, then so be it. That is more important than anything else.

Schurrle will always be adored and respected by Chelsea and its fans. His retirement came way too early (relatively), but it appears to be at the right time for him personally and that it what matters the most. It may be a bittersweet day for the player personally, but he should know that the club will always be there for him if he needs anything.