By Sulayman Bah

Pa Dembo Touray has hung up his gloves after playing professionally for sixteen years, Foroyaa Sport can report.

The legendary Gambian applied the brake on his playing days to officially take up a job as goalkeeper coach at his club IFK Lidingo.

Pa joined the side last year immediately after quitting Vasalunds IF 2015 and is now something of a revered cult figure at Lidingo.

Announcing his retirement the 36-year-old said in a Swedish publication:

‘It feels great. I have finished my active career and now I want to give back and it will be exciting to see what we can achieve here in Prespa Birlik. I know it is the club that has big ambitions and it appeals to me’

Touray’s retirement is more of a formality after clearly stating at event of his signing the previous season that he may well hang up his gloves.

Pa Dembo is one of Gambia’s most successful goalkeeper exports, winning the Swedish league twice while with Stockholm giants Djurgarden IF where he first signed professional papers  going on to spend over a decade before leaving in 2011.

His move to Engen Santos, a one-time South African Premier League heavyweight, followed with the mammoth erstwhile Scorpion captain staying there for three league campaigns prior to returning to Sweden.

Touray retired from national duties with the Gambia national team in 2012 following criticisms from the local press that he needed to make way for up-and coming starlets.

A tall order in between the sticks, Dembo began his career with Saint Matty FC from 1996-1998 before switching to Real de Banjul the subsequent league term.

It must be said, since Pa left for Sweden to play professionally, no Gambian goalkeeper has managed to sign a deal in Europe, the closes has been Sam Jammeh who actually was born in Finland and plays for a second tier outfit in the Scandinavian country.