Winnipeg Blue Bombers centre Matthias Goossen announced his retirement Tuesday after five seasons in the CFL.

Goossen was a pending free agent and ranked third amongst nationals leading up to the open of free agency Feb. 12. He was named a CFL All-Star last season.

The 26-year-old is retiring to pursue a career in police work in his home province of British Columbia.

"After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to end my football career," Goossen said in a Blue Bombers' press release. "Firstly, I want to thank my family, and especially my wife, for being a constant source of support over the course of my football career. I also want to thank my teammates who made my five years of playing professional football a true blessing, and am especially thankful for the brotherhood of offensive linemen who made it a privilege every day to come into work. I want to thank Coach O'Shea and coach Marty Costello for being two of the best coaches I have ever had.

"The Blue Bombers organization has been great to me over these past five years, and I am so grateful to have played for a team that does so much for its players and community. Lastly, I want to thank the people of Winnipeg. I have met so many great people here and can say that this city has felt like home over my five seasons wearing the blue and gold."

The Simon Fraser product was drafted second overall by the Blue Bombers in the 2014 CFL Draft and played 87 games for the team.

"First off, we would sincerely like to thank Matthias for his work and dedication to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers," general manager Kyle Walters said in the press release. "From the moment we drafted him in 2014, Matthias has shown tremendous professionalism both on and off the field. His work in the community is something we are very proud of, and he represented the Blue Bombers the right way. As far as our roster is concerned, Matthias was gracious enough to inform us of this decision quite some time ago, so we have been working accordingly. He is a fantastic young man, and we wish him all the best moving forward."