While some commented that Wesley Sneijder was thoroughly enjoying his retirement, others took digs at the pace at which he has gone out of shape.

Wesley Sneijder made the announcement while speaking to the YouTube channel of his hometown club FC Utrecht.

Wesley Sneijder vowed to not play in Qatar again after he was shown a red card during a Qatar Stars League match.

Wesley Sneijder played in the Dutch national team for 15 years.

Wesley Sneijder, Georginio Wijnaldum netted a goal each to help The Netherlands register an all important 2-1 win over Kazakhstan in their Euro 2016 qualifier.

Argentina won 4-2 on penalties against the Netherlands after the semifinal contest finished 0-0 following extra time. They will play Germany in the final on Sunday. Netherlands playmaker Wesley Sneijder said his team deserved much better.

Van Gaal last month demoted Sneijder from his job as team captain, saying he wasn't in sufficiently good shape. Manchester United striker Robin van Persie is the new Oranje captain for the Aug. 14 match.

Sneijder was only able to wear the captain's armband during four matches in the past year. Van Persie wore the band for the first time in Jakarta.

Inter Milan have paved the way for Wesley Sneijder to leave the club in January after confirming the Dutch midfielder will not play again until he has agreed to an "adjusted" contract.

Cote D'Ivoire striker Didier Drogba has asked FIFA for special permission to leave China's Shanghai Shenhua on loan despite being outside the official transfer window.