Former Chelsea defender Alex has been forced to retire from football after suffering a knee injury.

The 34-year-old Brazilian, who also spent time at AC Milan and Paris St-Germain, has been without a club since leaving Italy in the summer.

"I'm retiring, I made the decision with my family," Alex told Globoesporte.

"I would need to have surgery and then it would take nine months to come back. I just couldn't put up with that pain."