Joe Morrell made six competitive appearances for Bristol City after progressing through the Robins’ youth ranks
15:05, 20 Oct 2025
Former Bristol City academy graduate Joe Morrell in action for Wales(Image: Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
Former Bristol City midfielder Joe Morrell has announced his retirement from football at just 28 years old, admitting that he’s “no longer capable of” returning to the professional game after almost two years out through injury.
Morrell, who won 37 caps for Wales in his career and featured at both the 2020 Euros and 2022 World Cup, came through the Robins’ youth ranks. In total, he played six times for the Reds first-team across the Championship, EFL Trophy, FA Cup and League Cup.
After putting pen to paper on a new three-year deal at Ashton Gate, with the option of a further season, whilst on loan at Lincoln City in November 2019, the midfielder left BS3 in the summer of 2020, joining Luton Town on a permanent basis.
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A year after his move to Kenilworth Road, Morrell made the switch to Portsmouth having found first-team football difficult to come by with the Hatters. The Wales international was a regular starter in his first two seasons at Fratton Park – when fit – and started all but three of Pompey’s first 30 League One games in the 2023/24 season, before sustaining a knee injury against Oxford United in January 2024.
That injury saw him miss the remainder of John Mousinho’s side’s title-winning campaign and the clash with the U’s has since proven to be Morrell’s final competitive game as a professional footballer.
A setback in the summer of 2024 forced the midfielder under the knife once again and while he spent time on trial with both Plymouth Argyle and Reading ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, he has now opted to call time on his playing career.
In a post shared to his Instagram account on Monday afternoon, Morrell said: “This is not something that I ever thought that I would be writing at the age of 28, but today I’ve officially retired from professional football.
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“After almost two years of rehab, trying to get my body back in to a place to train, play and compete in the professional game, I’ve had to admit the fact that I am no longer capable of this. It’s been an incredibly tough 21 months, full of promise, hope, tears and dark moments, but I’m at peace with the fact that I’ll never again be able to play.
“I can’t thank my close friends, family and most importantly my amazing wife enough, for the support that they’ve given me during this time. I firmly believe that I will come out of this period a more resilient, well rounded person with a greater sense of perspective on what’s important in life.
“Football is what I do and not who I am. I am truly one of the lucky ones, and I’m so thankful for the career that I’ve had. Being able to live out not just my dream, but the dream of millions of boys and girls around the world was never something that I took for granted, and I hope that it always came across that way.
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“Starting at Bristol City, and finishing at Portsmouth, with stops at Cheltenham Town, Lincoln City and Luton Town. I would like to thank all of the supporters, staff, and teammates of these clubs for all of the love and support you gave me during my time there. Almost 200 appearances in all three EFL divisions, 37 caps for the Welsh National Team, including trips to two major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2020 and The FIFA World Cup 2022.
“I’m proud to say that I gave it absolutely everything to make the most of my career, and the sacrifices, sweat and tears were all worth it. I will be approaching the next stage of my life with the same passion, enthusiasm and ambition and I can’t wait to get started with that process now.”
As well as messages from several supporters, Morrell has received plenty of support from both his former club and international teammates. Amongst the likes of Kieffer Moore and Connor Roberts, his former City colleagues Korey Smith, Jay Dasilva, Zak Vyner, Max O’Leary and Jamie Paterson have also commented to wish the 28-year-old well.
Smith wrote: “Top guy top baller, wish you nothing but the best on the next chapter.” O’Leary and Vyner simply posted heart emojis, whilst Paterson commented: “All the best mate. Congrats on a class career.”
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