Uruguay's Fabian O'Neill bids to retire for the third time

Uruguayan international midfielder Fabian O'Neill has announced his intention to retire for the third time in the past year.

But his club, three-time national champions Nacional, said they were trying to hold on to the 29-year-old former Juventus, Cagliari and Perugia player.

O'Neill, who combines his job as a footballer with that of a cattle rancher and race horse owner, informed coach Daniel Carreno of his decision on Tuesday, and was told to take a few days to reflect.

O'Neill told the El Pais daily: "I'm going straight away to headquarters to break my contract."

Team director Daniel Barrerio said that he tried to convince the player to stay. "We had an initial chat. There will be others, I have no doubt. Fabian is one of us and can still contribute a lot," said Barrerio

O'Neill first announced his retirement when he left Juventus last year after he found himself starved of first-team chances at the Italian giants and returned to take care of his cattle business in Uruguay, before Nacional convinced him to join them this year.