Thursday 9 June 2016 16:43, UK
Former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has announced his retirement from football at the age of 31.
The Denmark international centre-back made 232 appearances and scored 14 goals for the Reds after joining them from Brondby in 2006 and won the League Cup and Community Shield during his time at Anfield.
He was capped 75 times by his country, scoring 12 goals, and featured at the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championships.
At a news conference on Thursday, Agger he said: "It's been a tough decision but I am pulling the plug.
"It has been difficult in recent years. The last two-three years I think I've been at an acceptable level. But acceptable is not good enough for me.
"I don't want my level to fall any further and so it was time to stop,"
He added on Twitter: "Thank you for your support. A great experience. It's sad but it's the right decision to stop."
Agger's career began in 2004 at boyhood club Brondby before he moved to Liverpool, although his eight-year spell on Merseyside was hampered by injuries.
He returned to Brondby in 2014 - after turning down offers from other Premier League and European teams - saying he was "feeling the effects of playing regularly in a league that is as physically demanding as the Premier League".
However, he later suggested in an interview with Danish television that his relationship with former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had broken down.
