Irish defender Colin Falvey, who represented Kerala Blasters FC in the inaugural Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) edition back in 2014, has retired from professional football, aged 34. The centre back, on Sunday, took to social media to announce the end of his 17-year-long professional career.

It was a hell of a ride. Thank you ⚽️ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 🇺🇸 🇮🇳 🇨🇦 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JrPc9C0bgO

— Colin Falvey (@falvey32) February 2, 2020

After Falvey's announcement, his former Kerala teammates Iain Hume and Sandesh Jhingan took to Twitter to celebrate the Irishman's career and wished him the best for his future.

Love it Falves pal! Was a pleasure going in to battle with you, even if only for a few months. Wish you nothing but success in whatever is in your pathway! All the best big dog! #OnOfTheGoodGuys #FALVEYYYYYY

— Iain Hume (@Humey_7) February 2, 2020

You were such a brave beast on the field big brother, learned so much from you. Glad that i was part of your amazing football journey and we had some really great moments. Wishing you all the best for the next chapter of your life 🤝😊

— Sandesh Jhingan (@SandeshJhingan) February 3, 2020

Born in Cork, Ireland, Falvey honed his skills with English clubs Gillingham and Carlisle United's youth setups, before making his debut for Irish League side Cobh Ramblers back in 2004. The towering centre back went on to ply his trade in five different countries - Ireland, US, India, New Zealand and Canada - making over 350 appearances, winning multiple trophies and personal accolades along the way.

Falvey's Indian adventure came way back in 2014 after he signed for Kerala Blasters FC for the inaugural season of Hero ISL. He made his debut for the Kochi-based club in a 2-1 away win over FC Pune City and played eight more matches over the course of the tournament to aid Kerala's run to the final. In fact, Falvey played every minute of Kerala's 300 minutes in the knockout stages.

Having missed out on the maiden Hero ISL title after a loss to ATK in the final, Falvey returned to North America and signed for Canadian club Ottawa Fury FC, with whom he won the 2015 NASL Fall Championship title. He was last in the books of Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.