REUTERS/Doug Kapustin
American soccer celebrity Landon Donovan, the top goal-scorer in Major League Soccer history, will retire at the end of the current season, he announced on Thursday. “After careful deliberation, I have decided that this will be my last season as a professional soccer player,” Donovan tweeted, linking to a Facebook post that went on to say, “I don’t write these words lightly and this day carries mixed emotions for me. I am sad to leave a profession that has brought me so much joy…However, after spending half my life as a professional soccer player, I also am excited to begin a new chapter and pursue other opportunities that will challenge me and allow me to grow as a person.” The Los Angeles Galaxy (Donovan’s MLS club for the last ten years) is expected to host a news conference on Thursday afternoon.