(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula/Agencies
The Hague: Former Al Gharafa captain Dutch star Wesley Sneijder (pictured) has announced his retirement from football, bringing down the curtain on a trophy-laden career that spanned 17 years, international media reported yesterday.
The Netherlands' most-capped player, Sneijder who has played 134 internationals, made the announcement while speaking to the YouTube channel of his hometown club FC Utrecht after having bought a corporate box at their stadium.
'My connection to the town is big. Now I've retired from football I want a nice place to share my memories, he said.
He has scored 22 goals and provided 25 assists in 116 international appearances for Inter between 2009 and 2013.
His displays earned him the Silver Ball for the tournament's second best player behind Uruguay's Diego Forlan.
Four years later in Brazil he took his side to third place after missing a penalty in the semi-final shoot-out loss to Argentina.
He was also named in the Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament despite his team's quarter-final exit at the hands of Russia.
His run to the 2010 final with the Netherlands came after his finest season in club football, as the number 10 led Inter Milan's charge to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble under Jose Mourinho.
An Ajax academy graduate in 2002, Sneijder won the Eredivisie title and two Dutch Cups in his five years in the capital club's first team before moving to Real Madrid, where he linked up with countryman Arjen Robben.
He won the La Liga title in 2008 before making the move to Inter a year later, winning that famous treble before a succession of injuries saw him moved on to Gala, where he picked up two more league titles and three Turkish Cups in four years.
The 35-year-old joined Al Gharafa in January 2018 and scored 15 goals at the QNB Stars League during his two-season stay in Qatar.
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