Billy Sharp announces retirement after 22-year career

Billy Sharp has announced his retirement from professional football in an interview with Sky Sports on 11 October 2026, ending a 22-year career in which he scored 299 goals and made 377 appearances for his hometown club Sheffield United.

Sharp’s career included spells at Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Hull City, Scunthorpe United, Reading, Doncaster Rovers and Rushden & Diamonds, plus a brief stint with LA Galaxy in 2023, and he had been a free agent since leaving Doncaster at the end of last season; he signed off with a hat-trick against Peterborough in his final game.

Announcing his decision, Sharp told Sky Sports: "I'm going to hang my boots up. I've given it a good ride. I've got a long way, got to 40." He added: "I wanted to go out on my own terms. I've seen many friends get taken away by injury and things like that. I wanted to go out with a bang and luckily for me, I got a hat-trick in my last appearance."

A boyhood Blades supporter, Sharp made his Championship debut off the bench against Watford in November 2004 and went on to captain Sheffield United across three spells with the club; he scored 129 goals for the Blades and featured in three promotion-winning campaigns — from League One in 2017 and the Championship in 2019 and 2023.

Sharp was part of the Southampton side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2012 and after his 2023 MLS spell returned to Yorkshire, continuing his playing career first with Hull and then with Doncaster Rovers.

While at Doncaster he scored a late winner against Bradford City to secure promotion to League One in 2025 and finished last season with a hat-trick that took his career EFL hat-tricks into his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s; he also had a fourth goal against Peterborough ruled out for offside, which would have been his 300th career goal. "It would have been lovely to have got that 300th goal on that day but I've had an unbelievable career," he said.

Sharp has joined Baller League team N5, led by former Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, to play six-a-side football, and he has completed his coaching badges with an eye on a future in management.