Ryan Mason will retire from football on medical advice following the head injury he suffered during Hull City’s Premier League match at Chelsea in January 2017.
Mason, 26, sustained a fractured skull in a collision of heads with Gary Cahill whilst helping to defend a corner during his team’s defeat and subsequently received treatment for around nine minutes on the Stamford Bridge pitch.
The player subsequently had surgery at St Mary’s Hospital in London and was released eight days later but has since struggled with his recovery, before admitting he had “no option” but to retire and
“I have worked tirelessly in order to be able to return to the pitch,” Mason said in a statement released on his Instagram account. “Unfortunately, having taken expert medical advice, I now have no option but to retire due to the risks involved given the nature of my injury.”
“I am and always will be eternally grateful for the incredible network of people around me who have helped me to recover from what was a life-threatening injury in January 2017,” he added.
Mason began his career at Tottenham and had loan spells with Yeovil, Doncaster, Millwall and Swindon before joining Hull in a £12m move in 2016.
“Ryan has sought the guidance of numerous world-renowned neurologists and neurosurgeons who have all advised that a return to competitive football is not advised,” the Championship club said in a statement.
After Mason confirmed that his career is over, he had since been overwhelmed with messages on social media wishing him luck for the future, including one from Cahill.
“Devastated to hear today’s news from Ryan,” read a tweet from the England defender Cahill. “Competing for a corner is something we’ve done thousands of times and to see those consequences for a top professional like Ryan is heartbreaking. Sending all my love to him and his family, and wishing him the best for the future.”