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Mark Noble shares moment he knew he was set for emotional West Ham United exit
Veteran West Ham midfielder Mark Noble is set for an ‘emotional’ exit as his career draws to a close after the match against Brighton.
The 35-year-old will bring the curtain down on his 18-year professional career after the final game of the season in Sunday (22 May).
While talking to The Evening Standard, Noble shed light on his side’s Europa League exit in the semi-final at the hands of eventual champions Eintracht Frankfurt, and also expressed delight in achieving so much on the field for the Hammers.
“The last couple of months have been a whirlwind,” he said. “I couldn’t concentrate on anything else apart from the Europa League, but when we went out of the competition, I knew then that the end was close.
“It’s all been so emotional. I was lucky enough to live this dream of mine, grow up in east London and play for this club for so long. When people talk about one-in-a-million chances, that is what it’s been.”
Legendary status
Noble will end his career as one of the most reliable servants of West Ham United for nearly two decades.
The veteran midfielder will end up making 550 appearances for the Hammers if Sunday’s fixture against the Seagulls is included.
In the ongoing campaign, the London-born midfielder represented the Irons 22 times across all competitions where he managed to score twice.
The veteran made his reserve-team debut at 15 and his first senior appearance in a League Cup match two years later.
He was a reliable presence in the centre of the park while also notching up 60 goals and 62 assists over the course of his career.
Apart from brief loan spells as a teenager at Hull and Ipswich, he was never permanently signed to another club.
This is not likely to be the end of Noble’s connection with West Ham as he could join the club in an administrative role in the near future.
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