'Zidane has told Real he is hanging up boots'

Real Madrid star and French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane has already told the club he is retiring at the end of the season.

Real Madrid star and French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane has already told the club he is retiring at the end of the season,

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AS

sports daily reported on Tuesday.

According to AS, Zidane, due to a give a news conference on Wednesday to announce his decision, told the club on last Friday he would not take up an option to play next season and would finish playing after the World Cup finals in Germany.

"Zidane will quit football after the World Cup ... it's an irrevocable decision. After training on Friday the Frenchman met the club technical staff in the dressing room to tell them his last match as a player with Real would be the final league game against Seville," AS reported.

"He also told (chairman) Fernando Martin as well as club skippers Raul, Guti and Roberto Carlos."

Cadena Ser radio said on Friday that the 33-year-old Zidane, who signed from Juventus five years ago for Real and helped them to a ninth European Cup in 2002, would "almost certainly" announce his retirement officially on Wednesday.

"The Frenchman will hang up his boots and revoke the final year of his contract", said the usually well-informed Ser.