Cisse announces retirement from football

Former France and Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse announced his retirement from professional football on Monday.

Cisse, 34, was in the headlines last week, denying allegations he was involved in a plot to blackmail former team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over sex tape footage.

He has been without a full-time club since the end of last season, when he left Ligue 1 outfit Bastia.

Cisse said on Monday he could no longer handle the demands of professional football.

"The body says stop, now it's over," he told Canal+. "I can't practice high-level football."

Cisse's professional career started at Auxerre in 1998 and his goalscoring exploits led to a Liverpool move in 2004.

After his departure from Anfield, he spent time at numerous clubs – including Marseille, Sunderland, Panathinaikos and QPR – while he also represented France 41 times, scoring nine goals.