By Soccernet staff
Carlos Tevez has said he is considering retirement after the
World Cup if Argentina pick up the trophy, because he is
disappointed at losing his first choice place for his country and
exhausted by the amount of football he is playing.
GettyImages
Tevez in action for his country against Brazil.
Tevez is only 25, usually a peak age in a footballer's career
but, ahead of Argentina's friendly with Spain on Saturday, said
retirement had crossed his mind.
"My chance passed. I had my possibility and I couldn't take
advantage of it. When the team needed goals I couldn't provide
them," Tevez said. "So it's logical that other lads should be in
front of me," he added of players like Gonzalo Higuain, now coach
Diego Maradona's first choice as central striker.
"It's complicated, there's my family, the desire to return to
Boca Juniors, but I think about it. It crosses my mind to hang up
my boots if we win the World Cup, although I have a contract (with
Manchester City) until 2014," he said. "I'm a bit tired of so much
football, so much football. I want to enjoy my family a bit. I'm
very keen to stop and get a bit of calm. I've already won a lot.
Living for football has saturated me."
Tevez, who last month said he sometimes wanted to quit the
national team, added that he got fed up with criticism of
Maradona's side as they struggled in the World Cup qualifiers.
"We were criticised a lot, sometimes rightly so, but to have
people say we didn't play well because of the money or we don't
love the (Argentina) shirt, don't sing the national anthem, there's
a lot of ill will," he said.
The Manchester City striker has been very successful already,
being voted South American footballer of the year three times in a
row, winning the Libertadores Cup and the world club title with
Boca in 2003, the Brazilian league title with Corinthians in 2005
and an Olympic gold medal with Argentina in 2004.
In England, he helped West Ham avoid relegation in 2007 and
aided Manchester United as they lifted two Premier League titles
and were crowned European and world club champions last year.
