Trinidad & Tobago striker Dwight Yorke has retired from professional football with immediate effect. The end had been coming for a while, and to be honest, Yorke's career had been on fumes since 2006, but now that this moment has arrived it's time to acknowledge the end of a historic era in Caribbean football. It's also the end of an era in T&T sport, as he, along with Brian Lara and Ato Boldon, were the most important Trinidadian sports figures in the last 30 years.
From the days of the T&T Strike Squad, to his eruption onto the English scene at Aston Villa, to his participation in the all-conquering Manchester United sides of the late '90s, Dwight Yorke was one of the most feared strikers in CONCACAF and for a time one of the best in European club football. Trinidad & Tobago slayed a lot of demons by qualifying for the 2006 World Cup finals against Bahrain, but I was happiest for Yorke, who was willing to take any role, even dropping further back into the field, in order to see his country progress to football's biggest stage. I'm willing to bet that if Yorke had to play goalkeeper in a pinch for his national team he would do it.
So the nagging question is, why now in the middle of a World Cup qualifying campaign? In my opinion, Yorke's retirement coupled with Russell Latapy's move into football management means that Trinidad & Tobago have conceded that they have no chance of qualifying for South Africa 2010. This team willed themselves through some nervous moments to get to the Hexagonal, but the final round was always going to be their limit in this cycle.
So farewell, Dwight Yorke. I'll always remember your smile.
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