Michael Hegarty, who holds the record number of appearances for a Donegal man in championship football, has called time on his county career.

The Kilcar man picked up an Ulster winners medal and featured as a substitute in last year's All-Ireland semi-final loss to Dublin. That was his 50th and last championship appearance for his county, 13 years after his debut in 1999.

"It was not an easy decision. We had a great year last year and we all really enjoyed it and to finally win an Ulster medal was brilliant," Hegarty explained in the Donegal Democrat. "But I suppose there comes a time in a player's career when you have to make the decision to retire and I feel that time has come for me.

"I will miss it and I made great friends and played with great players down the years and it was a great privilege to play for Donegal. It is something I will always look back on with great pride and satisfaction."

The 32-year-old was part of the Donegal team which won the NFL Division 1 title in 2007. Tweet

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