Juan Roman Riquelme has announced his retirement at the age of 36.

Speaking Sunday in an interview with ESPN Argentina: "I've made the decision to not play football anymore," said the 36-year-old Riquelme. "I have been clear since after [earning] promotion with Argentinos. I was clear that to continue playing it had to be something that interested me. I thought it best to take it calmly and communicate that I am not going to play anymore."

Riquelme represented his country in the 2006 World Cup, and was capped 51 times overall, scoring 17 goals.

Riquelme had his best club season in 05-06 while with Villarreal.