Fuente : UEFA (English)
http://www.uefa.com/

Football Europe: Blomqvist bows to persistent injury

/noticias.info/ One of only two Swedish players ever to win the UEFA Champions League, Jesper Blomqvist has retired from football at the age of 31.

Persistent injury
The former IFK Göteborg, AC Milan and Manchester United FC midfielder has decided to call time on his career after a persistent knee injury refused to heal. "I want to play but my knees won't let me," he said as he announced his retirement. "It's sad but there's not much I can do about it." Blomqvist had been eager to return to the fray following an operation on his knee back in 2003 after playing eight games in Djurgårdens IF's title-winning campaign, but a recurrence of the same injury saw his hopes of a renewed assault on European football dashed.

'More to give'
After 18 months of trying to find a way back to fitness, Blomqvist has been forced to concede defeat. "It's been hard to phone people up and tell them about my decision as I feel I have more to give," he said. "At the same time I have to be honest to myself. My knees can't cope with it anymore." Having started his career with Umeå IK, Blomqvist moved to Göteborg in 1993. His three-and-a-half seasons at the club remain a career high-point. "My period at IFK Göteborg was fantastic," he remembered. "We competed with the best sides in Europe and I was an integral part of that team."

Italian move
His performances alerted AC Milan to his class, and he duly moved to Italy in 1996, although he was not to make much of an impact in two seasons, spending much of the second of his two campaigns in Serie A on loan with Parma FC. However, salvation and success were to come with a move to United in the summer of 1998, and he joined Sir Alex Ferguson's side just in time to see them reach a modern pinnacle with a famous treble of the Premiership, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

Famous final
The Swede played 25 league games that season as he competed for a place with Ryan Giggs and Quinton Fortune, but he was substituted for Teddy Sheringham in the Champions League final with United 1-0 down against FC Bayern München. Sheringham would score United's equaliser moments before Ole Gunnar Solskjær grabbed one of football's most famous winners.

Swedish first
That victory saw Blomqvist become the first Swede to win the Champions League, although his international team-mate Patrik Andersson would join him two years later as Bayern took the title. Ironically, Andersson also announced his retirement from professional football a few days ago.

Everton move
United's success against Bayern would mark a turning point for Blomqvist whose career would go into a steep decline in the following seasons as knee injuries put paid to his playing ambitions. Thanks to three operations - two on his right knee, one on his left - he played no further league games in the next two seasons at United before moving on to Everton FC in 2001/02.

Heading home
He was released by Everton at the end of that campaign, and after a handful of substitute appearances at Charlton Athletic FC in 2002/03, he went back home to join Djurgården and eventually to retire from football. None the less, the 30-times capped international will not be leaving the game entirely. "I'll be in the TV studio commentating on games from the Primera División and Serie A," he said. "It'll be great fun, and an interesting step." notas_de_prensa_archivo