2025 marked a year of endings and beginnings in the world of sports as several athletes across different disciplines decided to hang up their boots and bid farewell to their remarkable careers.
Let's take a look at some of the most notable retirements of 2025.
Glenn Maxwell (Australia) - Cricket
Age: 37 years
Australian cricket star Glenn Maxwell bid farewell to One Day International cricket (ODIs) in June, 2025.
Maxwell first played ODIs in August 2012 and during his remarkable career, he scored 3,990 runs and took 77 wickets in 149 matches.
John Wall (America)- NBA All-Star
Age: 35 years
John Wall, a five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star and former number one draft pick has officially retired from professional basketball in August, 2025.
An American former professional basketball player played 11 seasons in the NBA.
Rohit Sharma (India)- Cricket
Age: 38 years
Senior Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma called time on his test cricket career in May, 2025.
He had already quit T20Is in 2024 after leading India to a T20 World Cup win and he continued as captain in the remaining formats but India's failure to reach the World Test Championship final, including back-to-back series loss to New Zealand and Australia contributed to his decision.
Rohit played a total of 67 tests, where he scored 4301 runs at an average of 40.57.
Virat Kohli (India)- Cricket
Age: 37 years
Just a few days after Rohit retired from Test cricket, India's top batsman Virat Kohli also announced his retirement from Test cricket in May, 2025.
Having already retired from T20Is, he will now play only ODI cricket for India.
Kohli played a total of 123 tests for India, where he scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.
Aisam-ul-Haq (Pakistan)- Tennis
Age: 45 years
Pakistan's veteran tennis player Aisam-ul-Haq recently announced his retirement from professional tennis during the opening ceremony of Pakistan's first ATP Challenger Cup, ending a career of more than 20 years.
Marcelo (Brazil)- Football
Age: 36 years
Real Madrid legend Marcelo officially retired from professional football in February 2025.
He is considered as one of the greatest left-backs ever, renowned for his attacking skills. He played most of his career at Real Madrid and won 25 trophies.
Mitchell Starc (Australia)- Cricket
Age: 35 years
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc called time on his T20I career in September, 2025.
He played 65 T20 International matches for his country and he is expected to continue playing Test and ODI cricket until 2027.
Elena Delle Donne (USA)- Basketball
Age: 36 years
WNBA Champion Elena Delle Donne announced her retirement in April 2025. Delle Donne has won two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards in the year 2015, 2019 and has been selected to seven All-Star teams.
Martin Guptill (New Zealand)- Cricket
Age: 39 years
The former New Zealand opening batsman officially retired from international cricket in January, 2025.
He finished as the country's fifth-highest run-scorer and remains the only New Zealand player to score a double century in ODIs.
Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)- Cricket
Age: 36 years
Former Bangladesh captain and opener Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket in January, 2025. He played 70 tests, 243 ODIs, and 78 T20Is in his remarkable career.
