Jeremy Helan retires from football aged 24 so the Sheffield Wednesday winger can focus on religion
Devout muslim who helps local projects makes shock decision after struggling to keep regular Owls place this season
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY winger Jeremy Helan has retired aged 24 to focus on religion.
The devout muslim and ex-Manchester City kid already helps out with local community projects.
Now he has made the shock decision to give up football altogether.
The former France Under-19 international has struggled to earn a regular Owls' place for most of 2016, spending the final three months of last season on loan at Championship rivals Wolves.
But Helan still clocked up 145 games and three goals for Wednesday.
And in fact when he made his Owls' debut in November 2012 - then from Man City - he made the headlines after a bizarre refereeing blunder.
Mick Russell booked Helan twice in the first 25 minutes against Huddersfield but failed to send him off - because he had mistakenly shown the first yellow card to Helan's team-mate Michail Antonio.
Fellow wideman Antonio, 26, has just made it into the England squad with West Ham.
And Helan must be hoping he too can make a similar impact - in a transformed role - this year.