Inter's Luis Figo retires from football

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posted on 15 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Luis Figo has hung up his boots, after Inter were crowned Italian champions.

New Delhi: Luis Figo has hung up his boots, after Inter were crowned Italian champions following AC Milan's 2-1 defeat at Udinese.

Figo, 36, had already been linked with retirement last season after a bust-up with coach Roberto Mancini but Jose Mourinho's appointment made him reconsider and continue at the club for another year.

The 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year has now decided to call time on a very successful 20-year career on the same night Inter won their 17th Serie A trophy.

"This is the first time I am champion without playing," he told A BOLA. "This is the best way to end."

The winger believes this Serie A trophy

was special as Inter faced stiff competition to finish at the top of the table.

"In Italy, winning a title is always very hard, but with everyone in the fight [Juventus, AC Milan and Roma], unlike what happened with the other titles we claimed, you can say that this one was a little bit different, a little bit harder," he added.

Figo signed a deal with Al-Ittihad in 2007 but reneged on the offer after the Saudi Arabian side failed to meet the terms of the agreement.

And Figo, who has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer in the past, admits he could postpone retirement in order to play in a league outside of Europe.

He said, "I will not play again at the highest level," he said. "And I will most likely not accept any offer. Only if something special emerges and it is from outside of Europe. But it is not likely."

Figo, who was involved in a hugely controversial move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000, won a total of 23 titles during his career, including a Champions League trophy in 2001.

The Portuguese ace made 127 appearances for his country, guiding the Seleccao to the Euro 2004 final, where they lost to Greece, and a fourth-place finish at the 2006 World Cup.