Former Chelsea player Smertin announces retirement

Former Russian international and Chelsea midfielder Alexei Smertin has said he is quitting the game.

"I`ve decided to finish with football," Smertin, 34, told Sport Express. "I`ve terminated my contract with Fulham."

Smertin made his name in Russia with Lokomotiv Moscow in 1999-2000, and later went on to briefly captain the Russian national side, making 55 appearances for his country.

He left Russia in 2000 for French club Bordeaux. In 2003 then-manager Claudio Ranieri brought him to Chelsea, where he was immediately loaned out to Portsmouth in order to adapt to life in England away from the media circus at Stamford Bridge.

He returned to Chelsea the next season, with the side now managed by Jose Mourinho, and although not a regular he picked up a Premier League title medal.

The following season, with Chelsea`s midfield packed with stars, Smertin was again loaned out, this time to Charlton, for the start of the 2005/06 campaign, and in January 2006 he returned to Russia, signing a four-year contract with Dynamo Moscow.

However, Dynamo were drawn into a relegation battle, and Smertin expressed his dissatisfaction with life at the Moscow club. He signed for Fulham in 2007.

"I left London with the desire to continue my career in Russia. I thought I would finish where I started. Unfortunately, that`s not how it worked out. There were no offers that would have suited me," he said.

Smertin, one of Russian football`s most articulate players, looks set to concentrate on politics. He was elected to the regional parliament in his native Altai Territory in March 2009. He also runs a free football school in his hometown of Barnaul.

sections: Sport