A former Derby County fan favourite who played 175 times for the club has now announced his retirement at age 39.
Derby County are returning to the Championship after a two-year hiatus.
Paul Warne is leading the Rams into the 2024/25 Championship season and his side have so far bolstered well in the summer transfer market.
So far this summer, the Rams have spent money on midfielders Ebou Adams and Kenzo Goudmijn, also bringing in Ben Osborn and Kayden Jackson on free transfers, loaning in Jerry Yates and David Ozoh.
Many will tips the Rams to struggle next season. But Derby County fans may be quietly optimistic about their chances in the second tier.
The last time Derby were in the Championship was one of the darkest times in the club’s modern history, going through financial turmoil and struggling on the pitch as a result.
Now, one of the players from that era has announced his retirement from football.
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Former Derby County favourite Curtis Davies announces retirement
Curtis Davies, 39, has now announced his retirement from football, after a playing career that’s spanned 21 years.
Davies started his career with Luton Town in 2003 and has since represented all of West Brom, Aston Villa Leicester City, Birmingham City, Hull City, Derby County, and most recently Cheltenham Town.
The centre-back played at Pride Park between 2017 and 2023, making 175 total appearances for the club, winning the Player of the Year award in 2021/22.
Announcing his retirement on X, Davies posted this emotional farewell:
What next for former Derby County man Curtis Davies
At the end of his retirement message, Davies suggested that he’ll move into a new career, though what that is remains to be seen.
Given his experience though, and given the fact that he’s studied for coaching badges in the past, we could expect to see Davies sticking around in football.
And should he move into coaching then whichever team brings him in will be hiring a truly experienced leader, who always gave his all for Derby County, and stuck with the club through some really dark days.
Derby fans will wish him nothing but the best for his retirement, and he has a long and exciting career to look back on for years to come.