Former England captain Rio Ferdinand has announced his retirement from football.
The former West Ham, Leeds and Manchester United central defender spent last season at QPR, who were relegated from the Premier League.
Ferdinand, 36, told BT Sport he had decided to bring an end to his career.
The confirmation came after a season in which Ferdinand struggled to hold down a regular place in the QPR side.
Ferdinand was absent for the closing stages of the campaign. His wife, Rebecca Ellison, died after a battle with cancer on 1 May.
"This season I really found out that it was time to hang the boots up and get back in the house and watch other people play"
Ferdinand said on BT Sport: "This season I really found out that it was time to hang the boots up and get back in the house and watch other people play the game."
Former United and England team-mate Paul Scholes said of Ferdinand: "He was a great player, without a doubt the best centre-half I ever played with.
"I would say for a time as well he was the best centre-half in the world.
"He was such a pleasure to play with and play in front of. To play in front of him, he made your job so easy."
Ferdinand began his career at West Ham, and made his England debut at the age of 19 in 1997, before leaving in an £18million transfer to Leeds in 2000.
He subsequently moved across the Pennines to join Manchester United for £29.1million, which at the time of the deal in July 2002 was a world record fee for a defender.
Michael Owen, who played with Ferdinand at Old Trafford and was a long-standing former international team-mate, said: "What a player he was, absolute Rolls Royce."
That was a verdict shared by Trevor Sinclair, who played with Ferdinand for West Ham and England and said on Twitter: "Congrats big man on an incredible career ..... All the best moving forward #RollsRoyce."
QPR said: "All the best to @rioferdy5 following his retirement from football."
