Veteran Reggae Boy defender Wes Morgan endured a heartbreaking swansong as Leicester City slumped to a 4-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspurs at the King Power Stadium, to miss out on Champions League for a second straight season.
The 37-year-old, who joined Leicester nine years ago and featured in 324 games for the East Midlands club, announced his retirement last week.
He was out of contract in the summer.
“I’ve had such a good time here. To come to Leicester has been one of my best choices,” Morgan tweeted. “I can always look back on the memories. We’ve had some great times together.”
Morgan spent several seasons at boyhood club Nottingham Forest, making over 350 appearances, before making the switch to the King Power.
The move came with immense success as he captained the club to the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season, and was also part of the squad which won the FA Cup last week by beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final at Wembley.
Morgan, who scored 14 goals during his time at Leicester, found playing time difficult to come by in recent times, however, and made only 10 appearances across all competitions this term.
Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha praised Morgan’s contribution to the club, hailing him as a “valuable source of counsel” to the Leicester hierarchy.
“Wes has been one of Leicester City’s greatest servants, leading the team through the club’s most successful era and helping to set the standards that have pushed the club forward,” Srivaddhanaprabha said.
“A big brother to everyone he has played with, a strong representative of the squad and a valuable source of counsel to managers and senior executives in the club, his contribution has been enormous.
“Wes has shown throughout his Leicester City career that he has a great deal to offer away from the pitch. I’m excited to see how we can help him shape his career after football and how the Club can continue to benefit from his experience, knowledge and passion for the game.”
Morgan was an unused substitute on Sunday as Leicester squandered a 2-1 lead to falter in their bid for a spot in Europe’s top tier competition.
With Chelsea suffering a 2-1 loss at Villa Park, a Leicester victory would have seen them clinch a top four place in the league but they conceded three second half goals, to end fifth on 66 points – a single point behind Chelsea.
Morgan, who was born in England of Jamaican descent, notched 30 appearances for the Caribbean powerhouses, the last of which came in 2016.
He became the first-ever Reggae Boy to score in the Champions League when he netted against Sevilla in 2017.
Morgan was a key member of the Jamaica side which powered their way to the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2015 before losing to Mexico.
CMC
