ROME—Former European footballer of the year Pavel Nedved said Sunday's Serie A match at home against Lazio will be his last for Juventus, but doubts remain over whether the midfielder will retire altogether.
"After eight seasons with Juventus the time has come to say goodbye to all the fans, my team mates and the club and thank them for the support received over the years," the Czech said in a statement on the club website (www.juventus.com) on Saturday.
"I'll think about my future as of Monday."
Nedved had said he would retire at the end of this campaign but Italian media reported the Turin club were trying to convince him to play another year with a reduced salary.
The 36-year-old said that his decision not to stay next season was not related to economic factors.
His agent Mino Raiola said it was uncertain whether Nedved would stick to his plan to quit the game completely.
"Pavel has decided to leave Juve but he has not yet decided whether he will stop playing football," Raiola was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport's website (www.gazzetta.it).
"Lots of teams want him and I won't give up until I see his boots hung up on September 1."
It is appropriate that Nedved's last game for Juve is against Lazio as the Rome club brought him to Serie A in 1996. He was awarded the 2003 Ballon d'Or.
Inter's Figo to Hang up Boots on Sunday
"Tomorrow, May 31, 2009 will be my last Sunday as a footballer," the Portuguese former World Player of the Year said in a statement on the club website (www.inter.it).
The 36-year-old has won four league titles since joining Inter from Real Madrid in 2005, although he has not been a regular starter in the last two seasons, in part because of injuries.
There had been reports that Figo might accept one last lucrative deal to play in the Far East but he has instead opted to wind things up this weekend at the San Siro.
"It pleases me that my last Sunday as a footballer will be a Sunday of festival for the fourth consecutive Serie A title for me and all of us at Inter," the former Portugal captain said.
He started his career with Sporting, winning the Portuguese Cup in 1995, before his remarkable attacking talents prompted Barcelona to snap him up later that year.
CONTROVERSIAL MOVE
He won two league titles and the European Cup Winners' Cup with the Catalan club before his controversial move to bitter rivals Real Madrid in 2000 made him the first of the big-money 'Galacticos' signings.
He helped the Madrid giants win two league titles and the 2002 Champions League.
The player thanked Inter and his "friends" from Sporting, Barcelona, Real and the Portugal team, for which he made 127 appearances and scored 32 goals between 1991 and 2006.
He also apologised if his recent form had not been up to scratch.
"Winning has always been the only real objective of my career," he said. "The only way to win I have known is sacrifice and work, which they taught me when I was a lad at Sporting.
"That's why today I also want to say sorry if in some matches or in some periods I haven't managed to give my all because of injuries or other reasons. I was the first person to be displeased."
Figo's individual honours include the 2000 Ballon d'Or as European Footballer of the Year and 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year.
