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Rio de Janeiro, July 22 (IANS): Former Portugal international midfielder Deco has revealed plans to retire from football at the end of 2013.
Deco, 36 next month, admitted he could no longer guarantee the quality of performances that made him one of the world’s most influential midfielders during spells at Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea, reports Xinhua.
“In football time is short. It makes me nostalgic thinking about it,” Deco told TV Globo. “But there comes a time when you are no longer able to compete with the same strength and intensity.
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“I am competitive and I always want to win. I have a contract until the end of the year and I have set myself on having a good Campeonato Brasileiro.”
Deco is one of only nine players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs, Porto and Barcelona.
He admitted the lure of winning the Copa Libertadores – South America’s elite club competition – could prompt an addendum to his decorated career.
“This is my last Campeonato Brasileiro. But maybe I can be convinced to play in another Copa Libertadores and try to win the title that I don’t have,” he added.
