Former Sunderland goalkeeper Robbin Ruiter has officially announced his retirement from professional football, drawing a close to his 14-year career primarily spent in the Eredivisie.
Ruiter began his professional journey with FC Volendam in 2009 before securing a move to FC Utrecht in 2012, where he competed in the top-flight league for five seasons.
In 2017, he joined Sunderland, then in the Championship following relegation, but faced challenges with form and injuries as the club experienced another relegation.
During his tenure at Sunderland, spanning two seasons, Ruiter amassed 21 appearances, a period highlighted in the first season of the documentary series ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die.’
Following his departure from the club, Ruiter remained connected, though he expressed dissatisfaction with his portrayal in the Netflix series, citing specific matches like the one against Millwall in which he faced criticism for certain performances.
“But I had good matches in goal too, kept five clean sheets. I was on form until my injury, that would be a storyline in one of the episodes, but when I looked at the series, I did not notice it. I asked the makers what had happened and it turned out that they had to cut quite a bit because of the length, including in my scenes. I found it…quite sour, but in retrospect, I understand that too – those crazy pictures of me fit in better with the complete picture.”
Since leaving Sunderland, Ruiter has played for PSV, Willem II, SC Cambuur and FC Nordsjælland. On his Instagram page he posted: “I have crossed the button. Tough decision, but I’ve decided to get out of professional football. Still had several opportunities to continue my career, but the challenge I was looking for did not pass. Had a few setbacks, but most of all, known many highs and in the end it became a career that I look back on incredibly proud! Thanks everyone for the support throughout the years. I have enjoyed it! Tired.”