Mark van Bommel Retires but Not Before Drawing One Last Red Card (Video)

A month or so back, we pointed you in the direction of a showman going out in style. Today, we bring you something similar—sort of.

Dutch hardman Mark van Bommel announced his retirement on Sunday following PSV Eindhoven's 3-1 loss to FC Twente in Holland's Eredivisie. The 36-year-old midfielder—who joined PSV last summer and served as captain this season—ended his career in appropriate fashion, earning a red card with his final act as a professional.

Here's what happened.

Already playing with a yellow card, Van Bommel was sent off in the 70th minute for his second bookable offense—a studs-up, crunching tackle on Dusan Tadic's shin. The challenge was worthy of a straight red if you ask us, but it made no difference.

Over at Dirty Tackle, B/R pal Ryan Bailey reports that the dismissal was the ninth of Van Bommel's career. If anything, we were expecting that number to be a bit higher.

Afterwards, Van Bommel almost, kinda, sorta expressed regret. Here's what he said, per Sky Sports: "That's it, it's over. It's a shame that it ended with a red card, but it sums up what a difficult season it has been for the team."

Speaking about his retirement, he added:

"

I have had many doubts. The support of the fans made the decision tough for me. Although I still feel good, I had to make a lot of efforts to stay fit. I wanted to make the decision to quit by myself.

"

And thus concludes a 21-year career, with shame, doubt and a well-deserved sending off. Cheers!

Anyway, during that long career, Van Bommel showed off his talents for such noted proponents of the beautiful game as Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

But we'll always remember him for stuff like this.

(h/t 101 Great Goals)

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