Former Brazil striker Romario has announced his retirement from football at the age of 42.
“Officially I’m not playing any more. I’ve stopped,” he said. “My time is up. Everything has been a lot of fun.
“These last 20 years for me have been very positive.
“To be honest, I’m stopping because I don’t see myself in any shape to continue playing.
“I haven’t played since November, I’ve put on three or four kilos since then and, at this age, it’s difficult to get back to fitness.”
Romario scored more than 1,000 goals, including 56 in 73 international appearance. He was a member of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning side.
He began his career with Brazilian side Vasco da Gama and also played for Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Valencia.
As well as four spells with Vasco, he also played for Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Fluminese and abroad with Al Sadd in Qatar, Miami FC and Australian side Adelaide United.
Last May, Romario scored what he claimed was his 1,000th goal but conceded that some of these were scored in friendlies, youth and testimonial games.
