Very often in football there is seldom a right time for a player to say goodbye - and that was sadly the case for former Yeovil Town loanee Ryan Mason when he announced his retirement from the game this week at the age of 26.
Mason hadn't made a senior appearance since January 2017, after sustaining a fractured skull following a collision with Chelsea and England defender Gary Cahill when playing for Hull City against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
The former Tottenham Hotspur starlet, who won a solitary cap for England against Italy in 2015, had worked tirelessly to get himself fit and ready to play again. However on the evidence of a recent CT scan, as well as guidance provided by a number of world renown neurologists, he decided to call time on his career in the interests of his own health and wellbeing.
It was in the summer of 2009 that Mason arrived at Huish Park on loan from White Hart Lane, along with fellow Spurs' youngster Steven Caulker - who would also grace the top-flight and receive one cap for England.
The pair were amongst several debutants who appeared for the Glovers on the opening day of the 2009-10 season at home to Tranmere Rovers, including former Ipswich hopeful Dean Bowditch - who opened the scoring for Yeovil in their 2-0 victory - and Southampton keeper Alex McCarthy, who had joined the Glovers on loan from Reading.
Over the course of the campaign, Mason made 29 appearances for Yeovil in all competitions and scored six goals - which included a free-kick in his second match against Colchester United, a 25-yard strike against versus Exeter City and a brace against Carlisle United.
Further loan spells with Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Lorient in France and Swindon Town would follow over the next few years, as he continued his footballing education before making his Premier League debut for Spurs against Arsenal on September 27th, 2014.
During the 2014-15 season, Mason became a regular in Mauricio Pocchettino's side and received his first England call-up by Roy Hodgson in March 2015 for a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania and a friendly against Italy. He would made his one and only appearance for the Three Lions against the Italians on March 31st, 2015 and provided the assist for Andros Townsend - another former Yeovil loanee - in a 1-1 draw.
After falling out of favour at White Hart Lane in the 2015-16 campaign, Mason moved to Hull City for a club record £13million in August 2016. Unfortunately he would only make 20 appearances for the Tigers, as their league clash with Chelsea on January 22nd, 2017 - when he suffered his injury following a clash of heads with Cahill - would prove to be his last in professional football.
Despite being 100% convinced that he would be able to make a return, Mason decided against doing so based on the risks involved.
He said: "I feel happy with the things that I have done. I have lived my dreams and I have achieved absolutely everything that I wanted to.
"I am excited about the future, I feel like I have still got a lot to give."
For Mason, a new and exciting chapter in his life is about to begin.
