Desailly: I'm playing on
Marcel Desailly is seeking a new club after stressing that his departure from Chelsea and decision to quit international football will not be followed by an announcement of his retirement.
The veteran French defender will turn 36 in September, but he believes himself capable of completing at least one more season before taking on a non-playing challenge.
He left Chelsea by mutual consent on Tuesday, one year before his contract was due to expire, and was set to return to France to consider his future.
“Even though this announcement follows that of my retirement from the French team, the two decisions are not linked,” Desailly said.
“Concerning Chelsea, since I hear a lot about this subject, it happened to be an agreeable decision between the club and myself.
“I want to thank everyone at Chelsea for the fabulous way they have gone about discussions in recent days.
“We part as gentlemen and that’s so rare that it’s worth pointing out.”
Desailly will have plenty of options to consider, and a number of clubs in France and Italy are expected to lodge an interest in the former Marseille and AC Milan defensive rock.
There will also inevitably be talk of a move to Qatar, where the likes of Stefan Effenberg, Fernando Hierro and Gabriel Batistuta have picked up lucrative salaries for playing in the budding domestic league.
“A new challenge? Why not?” Desailly told his personal website, marceldesailly.sports.fr.
“I must make a point of saying that this doesn’t in any sense mean the end of my career.
“I’ve not reached the end. Not yet. I simply want some time to reflect and why not take on a new challenge?”
Desailly won Champions League titles with Marseille and AC Milan early in his career, before adding World Cup and European Championship medals to his collection more recently.
He was a disappointment on his only appearance at the recent Euro 2004 tournament, playing only in France’s 2-2 draw with Croatia, in which he was perceived to be at fault for one goal.
After winning a record 116 caps, he gave up both the captaincy and his place in the team by confirming his international retirement at the weekend, before the surprise news that he would also be leaving Chelsea.
“I experienced many great things with the Blues,” said the former club captain. “But at the age of 35 I feel the need to experience new things, to relaunch myself elsewhere.
“For now, though, I’ve no intention of announcing my retirement.”
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