Seen here playing for Benfica, Ezequiel Garay (R) challenges Juventus' Carlos Tevez during their 2013/14 UEFA Europa League semifinal in Turin, Italy, May 1, 2014. (Xinhua/Alberto Lingria)
Former Real Madrid and Argentina international Ezequiel Garay announced his retirement due to a chronic hip problem.
BUENOS AIRES, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Former Real Madrid and Argentina central defender Ezequiel Garay has announced his retirement from football because of a chronic hip problem.
The 34-year-old revealed that a three-year battle with coxarthrosis, a degenerative disease that causes a breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone mass, has often left him unable to walk.
"For three years, I have been fighting in silence and trying to find a solution to a problem that appeared unexpectedly," Garay said in an open letter posted on social media on Friday.
Having been without a club for more than a year, Garay said he had received offers from several clubs, adding that he could not continue knowing of his physical limitations.
Garay (R) competes for a header with Germany's Miroslav Klose during the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. (Xinhua/Li Ga)(rh)
"Commitment is a word that must be fulfilled. And my commitment would only be to collect money in exchange for nothing, since probably two out of every three games I would not play because of my problem," he said.
"I started my career as a child with honesty and I want to end it the same way. Today is a new stage in my life begins."
Garay was capped 32 times for Argentina's national team in a career that also included spells at Newell's Old Boys, Racing Santander, Benfica, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Valencia. ■
