Zidane hints at retirement after World Cup

Paris:

French football superstar Zinedine Zidane has hinted at a possible retirement after the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The 33-year-old Real Madrid midfielder previously said he would quit in 2007 when his current contract with the Primera Liga side concluded. Zidane shelved his international career for almost a year after a shock elimination in the quarter-finals of the 2004 European championship. He returned for France in August and wearing the captain's armband helped his country qualify for the 2006 World Cup.