Alejandro Bedoya will retire from professional football at the end of Philadelphia Union’s season, ending a 17-year career. The 39-year-old midfielder has captained the club since 2017, helping it win two Supporters’ Shields. He has also combined playing with a player-development and front-office role since 2024.
Alejandro Bedoya, the midfielder who captains American football club Philadelphia Union, will retire after the team’s season ends. The announcement on 2 November closes a 17-year professional career for the 39-year-old. He arrived from French club Nantes in August 2016 and took over the captaincy in 2017.[1], [2]
Under his captaincy, Philadelphia won its first major trophy in 2020: the Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the regular-season leader in Major League Soccer (MLS). The club won it again in 2025. Bedoya also helped Philadelphia reach its first MLS Cup final and win the Eastern Conference in 2022.[1]
He scored in the Union’s first MLS playoff victory in 2019. In 2025 he became the second player to make 300 appearances for the club across all competitions. He is also one of three Union players with at least 25 goals and 25 assists.[1]
Bedoya played 66 matches for the United States, scoring twice, and appeared in all four of its games at the 2014 World Cup. He won the regional Concacaf Gold Cup in 2013 and 2017. Since 2024, he has combined playing with a player-development and front-office role at the Union. In his farewell statement he thanked his family and described Philadelphia as the place where they had put down roots and built a life beyond football.[1]
