Rio Ferdinand says to retire at end of season

Rio Ferdinand

Former England captain Rio Ferdinand is planning to retire from football at the end of the current domestic season, the Queens Park Rangers defender has said.

The 35-year-old centre-back, in an interview with British television chat show host Jonathan Ross to be broadcast on Saturday, said he thought this season with QPR -- currently bottom of the Premier League -- would be his last as a professional footballer.

"I probably think the end of this season," Ferdinand told Ross when asked about when he would retire.

"I'm not fearful of retirement, I'm looking forward to it, I can see some good stuff hopefully happening ahead.

"You get to a time where you start understanding your body and the strains playing football (is) putting your body through, going out and training every day."

Ferdinand started his career at West Ham before high-profile moves to Leeds United and then Manchester United, where he became a mainstay of the last of veteran manager Alex Ferguson's several trophy-winning teams at Old Trafford.

Having already done some work as a television pundit, Ferdinand said he intended to remain involved in football in some capacity.

"I've done it for so many years, it's what I love," he said. "I will stay in football I'm sure in some capacity.

"I've signed to BT and stuff and I've done stuff with the BBC at the World Cup which I really enjoyed and it's something I'm sure I will take up and do a bit more (of)."

Ferdinand, who won 81 caps for England, is also a member of a commission set up by FA chairman Greg Dyke to investigate how to improve English football.