FORMER BRAZIL INTERNATIONAL defender Alex has announced his retirement from football at the age of 34 due to a serious knee injury that requires surgery.
“After speaking with my family, I have decided to retire. I already stopped playing some time ago, and that will still be the case nine months after my operation,” he said.
“The pain is unbearable and the injury has got worse.”
Tests carried out in Sao Paulo showed that he no longer had any cartilage in part of his right knee and the need for an operation has ended any prospect of him signing for a new club.
Santos and Portuguese giants FC Porto had been in contact with the centre-back, who has been without a club since leaving AC Milan at the end of last season.
From Rio de Janeiro, Alex spent more than a decade in Europe, starring for PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain before a two-year stint at Milan.
He spent five years at Stamford Bridge and was part of the 2009-10 Premier League winning side as well as helping the club to back-to-back FA Cup success and a Community Shield title.
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