Tokyo: Spanish World Cup winner Fernando Torres said Sunday his body could no longer cope with the physical demands of football after announcing his retirement from the game. But the 35-year-old, once one of the deadliest marksmen in the world, would not rule out a future in coaching. The former Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea striker finished his career at Japanese club Sagan Tosu after joining the J-League side last year.

"I have a high demand of myself - I always want to be honest and perform at the level I think I should," said Torres, who scored Spain's winning goal in the 2008 European championships and played a key role in their 2010 World Cup triumph. "Knowing my body and listening to my body, I think, especially mentally, that time (when I can't perform at the top level) is not far and I wanted to end my career in a good way before that happens. "I always gave everything I had and I still will give in the next two months," added Torres, whose last game will be against former Spain team mate Andres Iniesta's Vissel Kobe on August 23. Torres tweeted his retirement on Friday, saying: "After 18 exciting years, the time has come to put an end to my football career." He left Atletico last summer to play in Japan after returning to his boyhood club in 2015 but has struggled with form and injuries.