Joe Canning has retired from inter-county hurling.
The Galway star, 32, told his team mates in the dressing room in the immediate aftermath of the weekend qualifier defeat by Waterford.
Canning has been plagued by injuries and had his hand strapped up for the defeat last weekend.
The Portumna star had his mind made up earlier this season that it would be his last year in maroon and white, but he was anticipating the announcement might come in August.
Canning will continue to play on with his club.
The five-time All Star holds four All-Ireland club medals and one county All-Ireland, won with Galway in 2017.
Canning, speaking at a Bord Gais Energy media event, said: “That’s it, (I’m) finished with Galway now.
“I told the boys after in the dressing room, that was it, so I have to keep my word a bit on that one.
“I will keep playing with Portumna, but that’s me finished with Galway.
“I was humming and hawing about kind of saying it publicly.
“But then I was talking to my brother after and we said I probably should have said it publicly, cut out all this (speculation).
“There has been a lot of people wondering, would I, wouldn't I - just to end all that.
“It’s injuries and stuff like that. I had a couple of fairly serious ones over the years and even this year alone tore a hamstring after the Waterford league game and didn’t realise I had it for a few weeks.
“Just a little nick, a partial tear in my thumb as well.
“My finger, my heel, yeah there are four or five injuries alone this year, niggly ones, yeah it wasn’t getting any easier for me.
“I just feel the time is right. I don’t want to stay around too long either.
“I think that is a bad way as well - just being there for the sake of it.
“As I said to the lads after the game, Saturday wasn’t the day I was planning to tell them.
“That’s just it, life moves on.”
Canning said it was “a bit raw” in the dressing room after the defeat to Waterford.
“I said to the boys, I didn’t think it (retirement) was going to be Saturday,” he said.
“I thought it might be later on in the year.
“You were kind of hoping in August time, August 22, All-Ireland that’s your kind of dream isn’t it, but that’s life.
“Life moves on. That’s just the way it is.
“I am content with it. It wasn’t a thing just because we lost, that’s it. As I said to the boys I wanted to say it because we will never be in that group again.”
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