Paris: France captain Zinedine Zidane has confirmed on his internet site that he will end his sparkling career in the next 18 months, but first he wants to win the World Cup.
Zidane has won all the major honours in world football, including leading his country to World Cup victory on home soil in 1998 by scoring two goals in France's 3-0 demolition of favourites Brazil.
Zidane also scored the winning goal for Spanish club Real Madrid in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final, firing in a spectacular volley against Bayer Leverkusen.
But he told his website on Wednesday that he wants to make the most of what remains of his career and then retire at the top.
"I have another six months or a year, it's true," he said. "At most, I have another year and a half. I am closer to the end than the beginning."
"I am eager to make the most of my last moments as a footballer and to live these moments to the full. Otherwise, afterwards, I would be left with regrets."
Last month, Zidane told French television channel Canal+ that he wanted to finish the season and then focus on the World Cup before making any decisions on the next 12 months.
Now he is keen to make up for France's World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004 disasters.
In the 2002 World Cup, France failed to make it out of the group stages when faced with Uruguay, Senegal and Denmark.
With Zidane injured for their first two games and only a peripheral figure in their last, France failed to score a single goal and crashed out with two defeats and a draw.
Two years on and they fell at the first knock-out hurdle when faced with eventual champions Greece.
"We have a good team, but we said that as well in 2002 and 2004. Therefore, we must not make the same mistakes," he said.
"We have to prepare well and be ready. The French team can be competitive if we all arrive at 100 per cent. In 2002, there were so many negative things that happened that in the end, on the field, it went the way it did. Personally, I am a little sad about it, particularly 2004 because in 2004 we were well prepared."
"We had a good team and that's why our defeat was hard to bear. It was not for no reason that I stopped."
The pain of losing that quarter-final to Greece prompted Zidane, along with several other senior players, to announce the end of his international career.
But only a year later he returned from the cold as France struggled to qualify for the World Cup and his presence was felt as the former champions of Europe and the world eventually won their qualification group.
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