ZZ STOP

Zidane Zidane has announced he will retire from football after this summer's World Cup finals.

The 33-year-old France playmaker's contract at Real Madrid is due to expire in the summer of 2007 but he has opted to hang up his boots a year earlier, citing fitness concerns as the main reason behind his decision.

"After the World Cup, I will stop playing football," he told Canal Plus. "It is especially because of my body. I cannot play on for another year."

Zidane, who will be best remembered for scoring two goals for Les Bleus in their 3-0 win over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final at the Stade de France, hinted recently he was ready to retire. He has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and his form has also dipped, although he will be one of France's talismanic players in this summer's showpiece in Germany.
"It may seem strange that I am announcing it now, two weeks before the end of the (Spanish) championship," he added.

"But this is a decision I have seriously reflected on, and one I had to make before the World Cup.