Former Hammer Paulo Wanchope has announced his retirement from professional football.
A succession of knee injuries convinced the 31-year-old striker that enough was enough and he confirmed yesterday that he had decided to call time on a professional career that spanned 13 years."I always gave 100 per cent to do things as well as possible," he said.
"Sadly, my last performances were far from good enough and I have taken the decision to retire. It was a difficult decision to take, but it has to be taken.
"The truth is that in the last six months I had to make a great effort to recover after games and training. I gave everything and we all know about my knee problems.
"Of course, I will continue my career related to football as I have a great passion for this sport."
Wanchope was signed by Harry Redknapp in in the summer of 1999 in a £3.5m switch from Derby County.
He went on to make 47 first team appearances for the Hammers, scoring 15 goals in the process.
The 6'4" striker was sold a year after signing for the Irons to Manchester City. He went on to play for Malaga (Spain), Al-Gharrafa (Qutar), Rosario Central (Argentina) and FC Tokyo (Japan) before ending his career with MLS outfit Chigaco Fire.
Delightfully inconsistent, Wanchope, on his day, could be unplayable - yet on another he could easily miss a sitter from three yards. He will be most fondly remembered by Hammers fans for scoring the final goal in the memorable 3-1 Intertoto Cup win in Metz.
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