Coady, who grew up in Haydock and played for Rainford Rangers as a youngster before joining Liverpool's academy, has called time on a 15-year senior career which saw him play at the highest level of the game and represent his country.

Announcing his retirement on Instagram on Friday morning, Coady wrote: "Lived the dream. Eternally Grateful, Thank you."

The defender had been without a club since leaving Wrexham on August 31.

His final competitive appearance came during a loan spell with Charlton on May 2, playing 61 minutes in a 3-1 defeat to Swansea.

For football fans in St Helens, Coady's career has been a remarkable journey for a player who began playing the game locally with Rainford Rangers.

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After progressing through Liverpool's academy, Coady went on to play for Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Wolves, Everton and Leicester City, as well as Wrexham and Charlton.

It was at Wolves where he made his name, making 317 appearances in all competitions. He captained the club during one of the most successful periods in its recent history.

Coady helped Wolves win the Championship title in 2017/18 and went on to establish himself as a Premier League regular.

Between 2020 and 2022, he won 10 senior England caps and was selected in Gareth Southgate's squads for both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, with the then manager praising his leadership qualities.

His retirement announcement comes as Coady begins building the next chapter of his career away from playing.

This week, it was announced that he would co-host The Football Dugout, a new weekly podcast and YouTube show alongside Sky Sports presenter Mark Chapman.

Coady has also begun gaining coaching experience.

He has worked with the England Under-19 and Under-21 sides and revealed in September that he had returned to Liverpool to spend time with the club's Under-21 set-up.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Sport at the time, he said: "I'm lucky enough to get the opportunity to go into Liverpool's U21s. I came through there. I'm doing a little bit of coaching with the boys, which has been brilliant.

"The lads at Liverpool are amazing with me. The players but also Jay Spearing and Rob Page, who gave me the opportunity to come in, mirror them a little bit, be in the office before training and look at how they plan a session."

Coady now brings the curtain down on a playing career which took him from junior football with Rainford Rangers to more than 300 appearances for Wolves, the Premier League and the England squad.