Sooner or later, every professional footballer must bring the curtain down on their playing days, in the process making way for the next generation of wonder kids to emerge.

As 2008 draws to a close, Leadership Sports looks back at the notable careers of some of the big names to depart the footballing stage over the year.

Jay Jay Okocha: Was one of Nigeria's darling of international football. Charming, most endearing, very entertaining and delightful. Jay Jay built an institution that tries to capture the Jay Jay spirit. Okocha made his official debut for Nigeria in their 2-1 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier away loss against Ivory Coast in May 1993.It was not until his second cap and home debut that he became a favourite with the Nigerian supporters. With Nigeria trailing 1-0 against Algeria, in a match they needed to win, he scored from a direct free-kick to equalise, before helping the team to a 4-1 win, eventually securing qualification to their first World Cup. In 1994 he was a member of both the victorious 1994 Africa Cup of Nations squad and the World Cup squad who made it to the second round before they lost in a dramatic match against eventual runners-up Italy.

After failing to help Nigeria qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Okocha announced that he would retire from international scene after the Cup of Nations in Egypt. Injury prevented him from featuring in any of Nigeria's opening fixtures and he did not regain fitness until the semi-final loss against Ivory Coast. He then played in his final international appearance in a 2-1 victory in a third place playoff against Senegal and was then given a standing ovation by the nearly 60,000 attendance when he left the field.He made a return to the Super Eagles in a testimonial match to mark his retirement against an African selected side in Warri. The game featured former players Daniel Amokachi, Alloysius Agu and John Fashanu, as well as current players Benjani and Sulley Muntari. Nigeria won the game 2-1 with Okocha scoring the winning goal after appearing for the side in the second half.Oliver Kahn: One of the greatest goalkeepers of recent times, played his final competitive game in May this year. The three-time FIFA World Goalkeeper of the Year (1999, 2001, 2002) can look back on a career littered with silverware after claiming 20 domestic titles just in his spells at Karlsruhe and Bayern Munich. Additionally, Kahn twice picked up winner's medals in European club competitions with Bayern after lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2001 and the UEFA Cup in 1996.

On the international scene, the custodian was capped 86 times and helped Germany take the UEFA European Championship in 1996. Though he never won a FIFA World Cup winners medal, 'The Titan' was awarded the adidas Golden Ball at Korea/Japan 2002, where the Mannschaft finished runners up to Brazil.Romario: Someone with happier memories of Europe's premier club competition is former Brazilian striker Romario, who was the competition's top scorer in 1990 and 1993. At the age of 42, Romario announced in April that he was finally hanging up his boots after a career lasting more than 20 years. The Brazilian would probably consider 1994 as his golden year when, in the space of 12 months, the prolific striker helped the Seleção win the FIFA World Cup in the USA (being voted Player of the Tournament in the process), picked up a Spanish league title with Barcelona and was voted FIFA World Player of the Year. The diminuitive front-man, who won a silver medal with the Auriverde at the Seoul Olympics, played for a total of eight different clubs in his lengthy career that included four different spells at Brazilian side Vasco de Gama. In recent years, Romario was an active beach soccer player even helping Brazil claim third place at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 1995.Rui Costa: He may have less trophies than Serginho to show for all his endeavours, but Portugal's Rui Costa was an equally invaluable member of his national side.

Along with Figo and Vitor Baia, Costa was part of Portugal's much-lauded 'golden generation' who promised so much after winning the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1989 but never fully realized their potential on the international stage. In contrast, Costa's haul of silverware at club level is enviable, with the midfielder collecting one Serie A title, one Italian Cup, one Italian Super Cup, one Champions League and one UEFA Super Cup during his five seasons with AC Milan. Pauleta: Another Portugal star calling time on his career this year was striker Pauleta, who in his 88 games for the national side, managed to overtake Eusebio to become his country's all-time leading goalscorer. Curiously, Pauleta is the only national team player never to have competed in Portugal's Superliga after spending his entire career at clubs outside his home country (Deportivo La Coruna, Bordeaux, Paris St. Germain). After helping Deportivo claim a first Spanish league title in 2000, Pauleta went on to twice win the French Cup and finished as Ligue 1's top scorer on three separate occasions. Lilian Thuram: Another player who called time on a glittering career in 2008 was France's Lilian Thuram.

The central defender who enjoyed successful spells at Juventus and Barcelona played a record 124 times for the national side and helped L'Equipe claim the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship two years later. Thuram's compatriot Johan Micoud also decided to call it a day in the summer after being released by Bordeaux. Despite being feted as one of the most skilful players of his generation, the 35-year-old midfielder was mostly a peripheral figure for Les Bleus, with his favoured position being occupied by none other than Zinedine Zidane. Micoud, who also played at Cannes and Parma, spent four successful seasons at Werder Bremen between 2002 and 2006, helping the north German team to a league and cup double in 2004.Claudio Reyna: The first American to be named in a FIFA World Cup All-Star team, also announced his retirement this year at the age of 35.

The former Rangers, Sunderland and Manchester City player who was known affectionately in Britain and the States as 'Captain America' led the Stars and Stripes to the quarter-final of the Korea/Japan 2002, where they went out to eventual finalists Germany.Marcelo Salas: Another national team captain following Reyna into retirement was Chile's Marcelo Salas. The former Lazio and Juventus star began his career at Universidad de Chile in 1994 before joining Argentina's River Plate, where he was named Latin American player of the year in 1997. During his time in Italy, the striker picked up the Scudetto three times (2000, 2002, 2003) before returning to South America for second spells at his first two clubs. El Matador, as he was known, became Chile's all-time leading scorer, hitting 37 goals in 70 appearances for La Roja.Other well-known names to bow out in 2008 included Frederic Dehu (France), Anti Niemi (Finland), Tony Vidmar (Australia), Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole (both England), Hazem Emam, Nader El Sayed (both Egypt) and Jose Luis Sierra (Chile).