Former England striker Teddy Sheringham has announced he will retire at the end of the season.
The 41-year-old, who won 51 caps for his country, will see out the rest of the campaign with Coca-Cola Championship strugglers Colchester before hanging up his boots.
Sheringham had two stints with Tottenham and played for six other clubs - famously helping Manchester United win the Champions League in 1999 - in a career spanning 26 years.
Sheringham said: "After a long and fun-filled career I have decided that this season will be my last.
"I've had a fantastic time and want to thank all those that have contributed to my career and helped me along the way.
"I've no immediate thoughts about going into management but football has always been my life and hopefully I will be back at some point in the future.
"Until then I have to try and help Colchester United stay in the Championship."
Sheringham agreed a one-year deal with Colchester after being released by West Ham last summer.
He admitted he could have looked to continue but had no desire to emulate Stanley Matthews by playing on until the age of 50.
Sheringham, 42 in April, added: "My Dad wanted me to carry on and beat Sir Stanley Matthews' record but I feel this season is the right time to bow out."
Sheringham made his name with Millwall, where he began his career as an apprentice, after helping the London club into the top flight in 1988.
He moved on to Nottingham Forest in 1991 before beginning his first spell at Tottenham a year later and breaking into the England side.
He joined United in 1997 and will forever be remembered at Old Trafford for scoring the late equaliser against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona.
A return to Tottenham followed before he featured in Portsmouth's first season back in the Premier League in 2003-04. He then stepped down a division to help West Ham to promotion and appeared in the 2006 FA Cup final.
Due to his passing ability and vision - as well as his finishing - Sheringham was seen as an ideal second striker and built up a fearsome partnership with Alan Shearer for England.
He went into Euro 96 under a cloud after being caught drinking prior to the tournament but he went on to play a key role as England reached the semi-finals.
His final international appearance came in England's World Cup quarter-final loss to Brazil in 2002.
He added: "I think it's a good time to announce my retirement from international football as well!"
Teddy Sheringham factfile
1966: Born Highams Park, April 2.
1984: Signs apprentice forms with Millwall in January and makes debut against Brentford.
1985: Goes to Aldershot on loan. Plays four games and scores one goal.
1988: Wins Second Division championship with Millwall, who are promoted to top flight.
1991: Signs for Nottingham Forest in July for £2million.
1992: Wins Zenith Data Systems Cup with Forest.
August - Signs for Tottenham for £2.1million
1993: Makes his full England debut against Poland.
1996: Helps England reach semi-finals of Euro 96.
1997: Signs for Manchester United for £3.5million in June.
1998: Wins nothing in his first season at Old Trafford, leading to taunts from fans of former club Tottenham and Double winners Arsenal.
Selected for England's World Cup squad but a national newspaper prints pictures of him smoking and drinking at 6.45am in a Portuguese nightclub.
Apologises for his conduct.
Injures his knee while on international duty.
1999: Complains about being fourth choice in strikers' pecking order at Old Trafford, with Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer leading United's bid for honours on three fronts.
May - Scores in 2-0 FA Cup final win over Newcastle.
Hits last-gasp equaliser in Champions' League final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona as United complete unprecedented treble of Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup.
December - United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says he is 'not interested' in selling Sheringham following renewed speculation that he could be on his way out of Old Trafford. Contract talks begin.
2000: Member of Kevin Keegan's England squad which fails to progress past the group stages at Euro 2000.
May - Sporting Lisbon line up bid for Sheringham but he signs a new one-year contract with United, who are crowned Premier League champions again.
2001: Announces he wants two-year contract with United when negotiations start again in the summer.
United win Premier League again and Sheringham is named PFA and Football Writers' Association player of the year.
May - Signs two-year contract for Tottenham after returning to the north London club on a free transfer, the day after scoring in England's 4-0 friendly win over Mexico at Pride Park.
October - Scores the opening goal at Old Trafford and then earns the dubious free-kick from which David Beckham fires the equaliser against Greece which sends England to the World Cup finals.
2002: June - Comes on as a substitute for four of England's five games in the finals, including the quarter-final exit to Brazil, but fails to score.
2003: February - Nets 300th goal in all competitions in a 4-1 defeat of Sunderland.
May - Spurs announce they will not be renewing Sheringham's contract when it expires at the end of the season, four days before the last game of the campaign against Blackburn.
June - Joins Portsmouth on a one-year deal.
August - Scores a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over Bolton.
2004: July - Signs a one-year deal with West Ham in the Coca-Cola Championship after being released by Portsmouth.
2005: Helps West Ham to gain promotion to the Premier League, via the play-offs, scoring 21 goals in all competitions.
2006: Features for West Ham in FA Cup final.
2007: January - Plays his final match for West Ham, a 1-0 fourth round FA Cup defeat to Watford.
July 5 - Signs one-year deal with Colchester after being released by Hammers.
2008: March 1 - Sheringham confirms he will retire at the end of the season.
