Pa-Modou Kah is ready for the next chapter.
On Tuesday, the former Vancouver Whitecaps center back officially announced his retirement, concluding a 19-year professional career that spanned seven different countries.
Kah terminated his MLS contract last season to become a Whitcaps FC 2 player/coach, and he’ll remain with the franchise as a coach.
“It’s been an amazing 20 years and although it saddens me to be hanging up the boots for good, I feel incredibly grateful to be given the chance to start coaching for Whitecaps FC and continue my journey here in Vancouver,” he said. “Thank you Whitecaps FC, for believing in me and giving me this tremendous opportunity.”
Kah made 30 appearances and scored there goals in Vancouver after joining the club in 2015 following a stint in Portland, where he made 40 starts between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Before coming to MLS, the 36-year-old defender played for clubs in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, finishing his career having played in more than 400 professional matches.
Kah — who was born in The Gambia and moved to Norway when he was 8 — made 10 international appearances for Norway, scoring one goal for his country.
After joining Vancouver’s USL affiliate, Whitecaps FC 2, last August, he made three appearances as a player and helped the team reach the Western Conference final as an assistant coach.
Upon his retirement, Kah wrote a touching letter to his young daughter Nahla, calling her his “greatest accomplishment” and saying his “biggest dream was to walk on the pitch with you.” Once he did that, he said he knew he was ready to move on from playing. You can read the entire letter here.
