© EuroFootball.com
Legendary Russian footballer of Lithuanian descent Andrei Kanchelskis announced his decision to end his football career.
"It's time to step down," said the 38-year-old defender, who played last season for Samara's "Krylya Sovetov" but has not found a club in need of his services before this.
Although A. Kanchelskis was born in Ukraine and his father was Lithuanian, after the collapse of the USSR the footballer chose Russian citizenship and represented the country, playing 36 matches and scoring 5 goals for the national team until 1998.
Starting his career at Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk clubs, in 1991 the footballer moved to "Man Utd" for 1 million euros. At Manchester United, A. Kanchelskis played 162 matches, scored 36 goals, became English champion twice, and FA Cup winner once. In 1995, the "Red Devils" sold the Russian to Everton for 7.5 million euros, where he scored 16 goals in his debut season.
A year later, the "Irons" sold A. Kanchelskis to Fiorentina for 12 million euros. He did not fit in Italy and returned to the UK, representing Glasgow Rangers, winning the Scottish Championship and cup twice.
In recent years, A. Kanchelskis played for clubs such as Man City, Southampton, Al-Hilal, Saturn, and Krylya Sovetov.
"I have enough desire and energy to continue playing. Two foreign clubs offered me a contract, but I wanted to play in Russia," said A. Kanchelskis, who has decided to retire.
