'Crying my eyes out' - Leeds United hero Stuart Dallas reveals emotional truth behind horror injury and retirement

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Former Leeds United midfielder Stuart Dallas has revealed how 'nervous' he was to tell the Whites squad of his plans to retire towards the end of last season.

Dallas had been sidelined for two years by the time he made a decision on his future, after sustaining a horror leg break in a tackle with Jack Grealish during April 2022.

The Northern Irishman was an integral part of Leeds' promotion team under Marcelo Bielsa and a reliable goal threat during the early portion of Leeds' return to the Premier League.

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Speaking on ex-goalkeeper Ben Foster's 'Fozcast' podcast, Dallas opened up and went into detail on the decision to retire from the game after being unable to rehabilitate himself to a point where he would be able to play professionally again.

"I was very, very nervous about telling the team," he admits. "Outside my family they're obviously the ones closest to me and they still thought I was coming back.

"I remember talking to Illan Meslier, he probably doesn't remember this but he was saying when are you back, what's the next step for you and I was hopeful at that point. I'm sure it came as a shock to some of them.

"It was important to me that I was the one that told them. I wanted the staff to be in to thank them, they were incredible. At some point I dealt with every single staff member so I wanted to thank them. I wanted to thank the manager [Daniel Farke] as well. He could have told me to do my rehab at a time when they weren't in but he brought me into meetings, involved me in everything, he was very good with how he dealt with me.

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"Should it have been filmed? I don't know, it's always nice to have and that moment was there for me to tell them. I think it's edited a bit because I tried to speak and couldn't. I was going in to tell them I was retiring but I didn't know what I was going to say. I caught eyes with some of the lads and that was it. I'd been there nine years and some of them, like Coops and Pat, had been there for the journey. It was a relief, after that I felt relief. A bit of closure.

"The media that came with it, I probably didn't expect it to be as huge as what it was. A lot of spotlight around it. I suppose it just comes from playing like a huge club like Leeds, it was probably a bit naive to think there wouldn't be that spotlight on it. I had known for a few weeks before that I had made a decision, I was just glad to get it off my back."

Reliving the day of the injury whilst speaking with Foster, Dallas explains the emotions he felt on the pitch at Elland Road as well as in the hospital afterwards as the reality of the situation dawned on him.

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"I was crying my eyes out. I was terrified, absolutely terrified," he said. "I remember trying to bend my leg and feeling like a crunch. It was a horrific feeling.

"From that point on I knew I was in big trouble," Dallas added.

Since retiring, Dallas has made several media appearances whilst also assisting Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill as a member of the backroom staff during recent international breaks.

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