Former Chelsea defender Alex hangs up boots
Tuesday 20 December 2016 08:54, UK
Former Chelsea defender Alex has been forced to retire from football after suffering a knee injury.
The 34-year-old Brazilian, who also spent time at AC Milan and Paris St-Germain, has been without a club since leaving Italy in the summer.
"I'm retiring, I made the decision with my family," Alex told Globoesporte.
"I would need to have surgery and then it would take nine months to come back. I just couldn't put up with that pain."
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Alex joined Chelsea from Santos in 2004 and spent the next three years on loan with PSV Eindhoven where he won three straight Eredivisie titles.
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He finally moved to Stamford Bridge in 2007 and won the Premier League, two FA Cups and helped the Blues reach the Champions League final in 2008.
The 17-cap Brazil international was signed by Paris St-Germain for £4.2m in 2012 and won the Ligue 1 title before leaving for the San Siro in 2014.
