World Footy News

Peter Bell, one of only a few players in the history of the professional Australian Football League with a direct Asian background, has retired at age 32 having played 286 AFL games.

Born in South Korea to a Korean mother, Bell moved to Western Australia at a young age. Bell was educated in Perth, where he achieved a Bachelor of Law. Bell was recruited from the South Fremantle Football Club in the WAFL. He was often regarded as short for an elite footballer at 175cm, although he played as a rover developing a reputation as a nuggety and creative ball-winner with accurate disposal skills and good goal sense, Bell played much of his career in Melbourne with the North Melbourne Kangaroos where he played in two premierships. He returned to Perth to captain the Fremantle AFL club. During his career he was named All-Australian twice, represented Australia in International Rules and best and fairest at both North Melbourne and Fremantle. His coaches at Fremantle managed to squeeze more out of Bell's AFL career, as he has considered retirement on more than one occasion.

While Bell was the oldest of the AFL's current crop of "internationals", Papua New Guinean born Mal Michael is another veteran, whose career at 31 years of age appears to be drawing to a close, having recently spent much of his time outside of the Essendon senior list.