Baggio sets retirement date

Baggio suffered World Cup final heartache in 1994 Baggio's career in pictures

Italian legend Roberto Baggio plans to retire from football in 2004 after 16 seasons in Serie A.

The 36-year-old, in his fourth season with Brescia, admits he is finding it more difficult to recover from the injuries that have dogged his career.

"The idea of retiring is uppermost in my mind and I think that that is what will definitely happen," he said.

"My career has been conditioned by injuries down the years, and been more stop-start as the years have gone on."

"When your career is stop-start it means you have more and more niggling injuries, which at my age are extremely difficult to shake off."

I am determined to reach 200 goals before I quit Roberto Baggio

Baggio has enjoyed an outstanding career at the highest level, having played in three World Cups.

He won the European and World Player of the Year awards in 1993 and excelled for all three of Italy's most famous clubs - Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

"The Divine Ponytail", as he is known in Italy, has scored 196 goals in Serie A, and he is desperate to reach the 200 mark before the end of the current campaign.

Baggio added: "It is a shame that I have had even more problems with injury this season.

"It has meant that I have had to end the calendar year on 196 career goals - I had hoped to be able to end the year on 200.

"I am determined to reach that amount before I quit, however, and I would also like to help Brescia to safety for the fourth successive season."