Rougier ready to pass baton.
By: Joel Bailey (Newsday).[/size]
Former Trinidad and Tobago football team captain Anthony Rougier is seriously considering ending his career in the game following his second season with United Petrotrin.
The 35-year-old utility player, who currently plays defence for Petrotrin, led his team to the Toyota Classic title on November 3 with a 4-0 demolition of Superstar Rangers at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
After the match, Rougier revealed his predicament.
“I look forward, hopefully if I don’t retire at the end of this season, to sit down with my wife and find out if it’s the right thing playing football again.
“It’s starting to become difficult now,” he added. “I’m enjoying it, but it’s starting to become difficult.”
The easy-going Rougier, who has plied his trade in Scotland, England, China and the United States, stressed that age is not the only factor in his mind.
“Passing on the baton is probably a better way of looking at it,” he said. “But it’s a situation of, maybe, I can probably do some work from another position.
“At the end of the season, I’ll sit down with my wife and my family and see what happens. If I return to England or come back to Trinidad to play again.”
He said there are many options outside of football and that he is looking at his long-term future.
“I’ve worked hard in my career to make sure that happens,” he said. “I know I can’t play football for the rest of my life. God has been good to me.
“For now, I’m doing a lot of work in south. Alutrint is doing a lot with me and I look forward to seeing what the future holds,” he said.
Reflecting on the Toyota Classic success, the Petrotrin captain said the team’s supporters will understand that there is hope at the end of the tunnel.
“People look at Petrotrin and all the other teams that are weaker and write them off,” he said. “We have to look at the standard that we have in this country and build on it, continue to work hard and make it better, and don’t just shrug it off and say ‘it’s wrong’ or ‘it’s bad’.
“We’ve got to make sure that football in our country continues to rise and not deflate,” he added. “So it’s important for us that we are successful and the company of Petrotrin can see success and continue to sponsor the way that they should and we can continue to improve as a team.”
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