St Helens centre and former England international Mark Percival will retire from rugby league at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old has dedicated his entire career to St Helens, achieving remarkable success along the way. His accolades include:

• Five Super League titles
• Four League Leaders' Shields
• One Challenge Cup
• One World Club Challenge

Since making his debut in 2013, Percival has made a total of 273 appearances for the club. This season, however, has been challenging, as he has missed much of it due to injury. Despite this setback, he has been named in Saints' matchday squad to face Leigh Leopards this weekend.

In an emotional statement on the club website, Percival shared the difficulty of his decision:

This has not been an easy decision, and there's a lot of emotion around it. I love this club so much, and I want to play. I want to be out there helping the team and to be with the fans, so not being able to do that has been difficult, and it makes this decision even harder.

He further elaborated on the struggle between his desire to continue playing and the reality of his physical condition:

This is not a choice I've made overnight. It's always difficult when you have to step away, and knowing if it's the right decision can be hard too. Ultimately, I feel like this is going to be the right decision, even though my mind is telling me to play on; sadly, my body is telling me different.

Percival also revealed plans for a shoulder replacement at the end of the year, stating, "Long-term it means I'll be able to pick my kids up and not deal with the symptoms I have this season, which is something I've been struggling with."