Schmeichel to retire at season's end

Manchester City FC goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has announced his intention to retire at the end of the season.

'My body is not happy'
The 39-year-old has decided that constant injuries have made playing on impossible. "You're supposed to wake up every morning and look forward to the challenges of the day but now my body is not happy any more," he said. "I'd always promised I'd move on when this moment arrived. It's time to end my career. It has taken a month of soul-searching to make this decision, the most difficult of my career."

Injury problems
Schmeichel missed the derby against his former club Manchester United FC two months ago with a calf injury, and has suffered a number of other injuries, including the knee ligament problem that disrupted the start of the season.

English return
He left United in 1999 after eight years with the club, and joined Sporting Clube de Portugal, saying he wanted to play in a less demanding league. However, Schemiechel then returned to England with Aston Villa FC, before moving to the Maine Road club in the summer of 2002.

Successful career
In an illustrious career, Schmeichel won five Premiership titles with United, along with three FA Cups, a League Cup and the 1998/99 European Champion Clubs’ Cup. He also played for Denmark 129 times, and was instrumental in their victory in the 1992 UEFA European Championship.