Costa Rica's Wanchope
Calls It Quits
Chicago Fire forward
Paulo Wanchope, the
second-leading scorer in
Costa Rican history,
retired on Friday.
The 31-year-old had 45
goals in 72
international
appearances for Costa
Rica. He played in Costa
Rica, England, Qatar,
Spain, Argentina and
Japan during his 13-year
professional career,
spending his last season
with the Fire of Major
League Soccer.
He started 11 games
after signing with the
Fire in July, scoring
two goals.
"It was difficult, but
this decision had to be
made," said Wanchope,
who announced his
retirement at a news
conference in San Rafael
de Heredia, Costa Rica.
"The truth is that in
these past six months, I
had to put a big effort
into recovery after
matches and training."
Wanchope played in the
2002 and 2006 World
Cups, and was the first
Costa Rican to score
twice in one World Cup
match. He had two goals
against host Germany in
the 2006 opener, but
Costa Rica didn't make
it past the first round.
He began his
professional career in
1994, playing for CS
Herediano until 1996. He
then went on to play for
Derby County, West Ham
United and Manchester
City in England; Malaga
CF in Spain; Qatar's Al-Gharrafa
Sports Club; Argentina's
Rosario Central and FC
Tokyo.
"I think it's a shame
that Paulo has to retire
at such a young age for
a professional
footballer," Fire coach
Juan Carlos Osorio said.
"Because of physical
problems, I can only
agree with him that it
was the best thing he
could do."
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