Mayo's Lee Keegan has announced his retirement from inter-county football.
The news comes as a big blow to the county after manager Kevin McStay said last week he had high hopes Keegan would stay on.
The 33-year-old was named as Footballer of the Year in 2016 and was nominated for the award in 2013 and 2021.
Keegan's total of 140 appearances places him fifth on the all-time Mayo list behind Andy Moran, Keith Higgins, Aidan O'Shea and Kevin McLoughlin. He scored 8-71 throughout his time representing the Connacht county.
McStay paid tribute to the defender on his departure.
"Lee has represented Mayo with great distinction," he said.
"He was indestructible and defiant: on the biggest days, he walked tall and proud. Lee embodied the resilience of Mayo. The example he set will continue to inspire Mayo for many years to come."
While the Sam Maguire alluded Keegan, losing six finals in all, his career was still laden with team and individual honours.
He won five All-Stars, seven Connacht titles while he also has an Allianz Football League medal from 2019.
He also made four appearances for Ireland in the International Rules Series against Australia and was named vice-captain for the 2015 series.
The Westport player will continue to represent his club, who won their first senior title in 2022, but said that a young family meant that he no longer had the time necessary to commit fully to the county cause.
"I have enjoyed every minute of my time with Mayo. We had great days and some memorable victories. For me, it was always about wearing that Mayo jersey with pride every single day, and I was honoured to play alongside players who were of the same mind, and under managers who drove high standards on and off the pitch.
"But all good things must come to an end. The reality is that I have had to rely on a lot of people – most notably my wife Aoife – to give me the time and space to pursue my dream. Now that we have two young children, Lile and Rhea, I am keenly aware that I am no longer able to commit to inter-county football in the way I did over the past 11 years.
"I will continue to make myself available to Westport and look forward to building on last year's historic success in the years ahead.
"I wish Mayo every success in 2023 and beyond. I will be cheering them on from the terraces. That’ll be an unusual experience for me, I’m sure, but such is the way of life."
Speaking to RTÉ Sport last week, McStay was hinting they could have the veteran at their disposal: "We're very hopeful. That question is not answered yet but it is going to be answered pretty soon.
"We've obviously met and cajoled him and coaxed him and got him into headlocks and kicked him and did whatever we could with him. But it's a big decision for him.
"He has a young family. But we are hopeful.
"We've given him all the information we could. We've mapped out to him what his season could look like and that all parties would be happy with. We've helped him any way we can and we need to see him fairly soon I think please God (if he is to be part of it)."
Unfortunately for Mayo, Keegan will not be part of the the 2023 campaign as he calls time on his career.
