Wycombe Wanderers cult hero Darius Charles has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 34-year-old, who enjoyed a three-year stay with the Chairboys between 2018 and 2021, announced that he had hung up his boots for the final time on April 11 in a lengthy Instagram post.

During his time at Adams Park, he featured 43 times and scored twice, and was in the starting line up for when Wanderers gained promotion to the Championship following their 2-1 win over Oxford United in the League One play-off final, where he played the full 90 minutes.

Bucks Free Press: Darius Charles in action against Fleetwood Town in the League One play-off semi-final second leg at Adams Park (PA)Darius Charles in action against Fleetwood Town in the League One play-off semi-final second leg at Adams Park (PA)

His first goal for the club, which came in a 1-0 win over Sunderland in October 2019, saw him coin the ‘Our House’ phrase, which has been synonymous with the Chairboys.

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In his social media post that was shared earlier today [April 11], the ever-popular Charles said: “After long deliberation (five minutes in a cold shower) I’ve decided it’s time to hang my boots up for good.

“I’ve spent 24 years devoting my life to playing, eight years trying to become what I’d always dreamed to be, and a further 16 years living it.

“Helen Keller said, ‘life is a daring adventure OR nothing’ and this journey has been just that a daring adventure with pitfalls, pain, and hard times but it has also been the same thing that has created the most amazing times of my life.

“Not only have I succeeded in becoming the thing I wanted to be but I’ve surpassed it, winning promotions playing at stadiums I grew up seeing on TV and along the way creating bonds with people that will be my brothers for life.

“So what next, well I’m glad you ask because the job at hand now is to be the man I needed when I was a young aspiring footballer, or the person I needed when I was out injured for a year or told I would never play again or when I let complacency set in.

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“The job now is to create successful cultures where players & clubs can thrive and become more than they ever imagined possible.

“If a boy from a council estate born to a 16-year-old mum can do it, then so too can you, and I’m here to not only tell you it’s possible but show you the way.

“Cheers to retirement and a new chapter in life that will prove to be even more successful than the previous one.”

During his professional career which began in 1998, Charles made his professional debut whilst at Brentford in the 2004/05 season, going on to make 42 appearances whilst scoring once during four seasons in the first time.

In that time, he also had six separate loan spells in the Non League for Thurrock (2005/06), Yeading (2005/06), Staines Town (2006/07), Crawley Town (2006/07), Sutton United (2007/08) and Ebbsfleet United (2007/08).

He would then join the latter on a permanent basis for the 2008/09 season, staying at the Kent-based team for two seasons.

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Charles would move clubs again, this time to Stevenage in 2010, spending five years with the Hertfordshire outfit where he achieved promotion into League One.

A move to Burton Albion followed in the 2015/16 season but he didn’t play a single game for the Brewers, which eventually led him to join AFC Wimbledon on loan for the remainder of the season.

It was during this six-month spell he became teammates with Adebayo Akinfenwa, as the two enjoyed promotion into League One at the end of that season.

He stayed at the Dons for two more seasons before he joined Wanderers in 2018.

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Charles then re-joined Wimbledon in 2021, but only played two EFL Trophy matches for the club.

And following the sacking of manager Mark Robinson this month, the England C international was put in temporary charge of the club, before Mark Bowen was announced as the team’s full-time boss.