Former Brazil Center-Back Miranda Announces Retirement

SAO PAULO: Former Brazil international Miranda on Wednesday announced his retirement from football at the age of 38.

"The moment has come to say goodbye," Miranda said in a video posted on his Instagram account. "If football was a person, after everything I've been through, I would say that it's been emotional, that we went through something inexplicable, but the time has come to be Joao Miranda," he added.

"I will remain a passionate football fan, but in a different way." The center-back represented his country 58 times between 2009 and 2019, scoring three goals, according to respected website Transfermarkt.

He played at the 2018 World Cup, starting all five of Brazil's matches as they were knocked out by Belgium in the quarter-finals. He was also part of the squads that won the 2019 Copa America and the FIFA Confederations Cup 10 years earlier.

He began his career at Coritiba in the Brazilian Serie A and went on to win that competition three times in a row following a move to Sao Paulo. He won league titles in Spain with Atletico Madrid in 2013/14, when his team also reached the Champions League final, and in China with Jiangsu Suning.

He played in France for Sochaux and in Italy for Inter Milan during an 18-year career. Having returned to Sao Paulo, he ended his career in November following the team's defeat to Ecuadorans Independiente del Valle in the final of the Copa Sudamericana.