Joe Allen has opted to retire 18 years after making his Swansea league debut under Roberto Martinez
Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales
Joe Allen was barely out of primary school when word got around about a midfielder from Pembrokeshire making a big impression in Swansea City’s academy.
A quarter of century later, Allen has called time on a career which will see him remembered as one of Wales’ finest footballers.
Having been hailed as a star in the making from a very early age, Allen has fulfilled his potential.
He retires aged 35, having played at three major tournaments for Wales and racked up nearly 600 club appearances for Swansea across two spells Liverpool, Stoke City and Wrexham, where he had a brief spell on loan as a teenager.
When Allen retired from international football in 2023, Gareth Bale described Allen as a “legend”. It takes one to know one, as they say.
Allen was rarely mentioned in the same bracket as Bale, arguably Wales’ greatest player, or Aaron Ramsey, his more decorated midfield colleague.
But like Bale and Ramsey, Allen was a major player during the golden era in the history of Wales’ men’s national team.
His contribution was immense, his influence vast.
Joe Allen was part of the Swansea side who beat Reading in the 2010-11 Championship play-off final
A story of enduring class
Allen’s journey to the summit of Welsh football began when he joined Swansea aged nine.
By the age of 16, he had featured in the first team squad and at 17 he was given a senior Swans debut by Roberto Martinez.
His first full season with the senior squad saw Swansea win the League One title in style, playing the possession game which became a club trademark and was ideal for Allen given his quality on the ball.
Three years later, Allen had another promotion on his CV having matured into a central figure in the Swansea team which reached the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers.
After a year thriving at the top level with his boyhood club, Allen joined Rodgers at Liverpool in a transfer worth 15m.
Welcoming Allen to Anfield, Rodgers described his new recruit as “the Welsh Xavi”, a mighty compliment which may not have helped given the expectation it brought.
Allen had some good times on Merseyside, playing regularly for three seasons under Rodgers including the 2013-14 campaign, when they came close to ending Liverpool’s long wait for a Premier League title.
Joe Allen scored seven goals in 132 appearances for Liverpool
He moved on in 2016, joining Mark Hughes’ Stoke for 13m after Swansea missed the chance to bring their former favourite back to his homeland.
Allen made more than 200 appearances across six years with the Potters, establishing himself as a popular figure among fans despite being part of the team which dropped out of the Premier League in 2018.
Stoke’s relegation marked the end prematurely, many felt – of Allen’s time as a top-flight player, as he stayed on in Staffordshire until 2022.
With his contract up, Allen rejoined Swansea on a free transfer.
A player who racked up games for much of his career has been blighted by injury issues since coming home, meaning a frustrating end to his memorable career.
But Allen’s quality remained obvious whenever his body gave him the chance to show it, hence Craig Bellamy coaxed him out of international retirement in what proved to be his final season.
Even with the end near, Allen was mentioned in the same breath as Andrea Pirlo, the legendary Italian midfield player he had first been compared to almost a decade earlier.
Allen’s class on the pitch was apparent until the final weeks of his career, as was his professionalism on the training ground and influence within the dressing room.
Joe Allen helped Wales overcome Slovakia, Russia, Northern Ireland and Belgium during Wales’ unforgettable run at Euro 2016
A star of a glorious spell
Allen’s Wales career began in 2009, when he came on as a substitute for Jack Collison in a friendly win over Estonia which was played in front of 4,000 fans in Llanelli.
They were tough times for Wales, then managed by John Toshack, but better days were ahead.
Allen’s influence grew as Wales made strides under Gary Speed, before he established national-treasure status during the Chris Coleman era.
Allen shone thanks to technical quality and vision on the ball as well as tenacity and desire when out of possession.
He was brave in any physical battle but also had the courage to play.
Allen’s blend of skills brought many good days. But if one period in his career is to be remembered above all others, it will surely be the summer of 2016.
Allen was an ever-present in the Wales side who stunned the nation and the football world by reaching the last four at Euro 2016.
Wales had not been to a major tournament for 58 years, meaning expectations were modest as Coleman’s team went to France.
Yet Allen, Bale and the rest conjured a glorious run to the semi-finals which goes down as one of the great achievements in the history of Welsh sport.
Allen’s place in the team of the tournament was a mark of his mighty contribution.
There were more international landmarks to come, with Allen playing his part as Wales reached a second successive European Championship and then helping Rob Page end the long wait for a World Cup appearance.
Joe Allen’s only start at the 2022 World Cup was in Wales’ final group game against England because of fitness issues
It was a pity for Welsh football that Allen was not fully fit for the tournament in Qatar, where he rushed back after hamstring problems to feature as Page’s team exited at the group stage.
Might Wales have made a better fist of things had Allen been fit and firing? It certainly would not have done their cause any harm.
Allen followed Bale’s lead by retiring from international football in the wake of the World Cup when aged 32, suggesting it was time to move on from “a great passion and love in my life” to make way for Wales’ next generation.
Yet there was a feeling among many Welsh football watchers that Allen still had much to offer the national squad.
While Page rejected talk of Allen returning to the fold, Bellamy wanted him from the outset.
And so in October 2024, Allen won his 75th Wales cap some 22 months after his 74th.
He retires for the second time with 77 to his name.
Once again there will be questions about whether he has made the right move, with plenty likely to argue that he still had a part to play with club and country.
For sure, Allen will be missed. But his place in the pantheon of Welsh greats has long been secure.
