Boca Juniors idol Carlos Tevez has confirmed that he will be leaving the Argentine giants with immediate effect, as he is mentally "not ready" to compete right now. However, he has not officially announced his football retirement for good, saying he currently intends to walk away from the game "but maybe in three months I wake up and I want to play again".
Tevez rejoined his boyhood club from Juventus in 2015 following a brilliant spell in Europe with the likes of Manchester United and City, and then came back for a third spell in 2018 after spending time in the Chinese Super League.
But in a press conference convened on Friday, the 37-year-old revealed that he would not be playing for the Xeneize in the second half of the year as he takes up an option to cut short his contract six months early.
What has been said?
"This is not a farewell, but a see you soon," Tevez said to reporters. "I have nothing else to give Boca.
"Mentally I am not ready. I didn't even have time to mourn my father, that's how demanding this is.
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"At this point in time I need to lean on my family and be there for them.
"Today I can say that yes, I’m retiring, but maybe in three months I wake up and I want to play again, but not in Boca Juniors again.
"I want to thank the [Boca] leadership, colleagues and coaching staff."
Boca and Tevez through the years
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Tevez joined the Buenos Aires giants as a teenager, making his club debut at just 16 against Talleres in November 2001.
He went on to win the 2003 Apertura and Copa Libertadores, before helping Boca be crowned world champions when they beat Milan that year in the Intercontinental Cup.
By 2005, he had left the Bombonera for Brazil's Corinthians, beginning a journey that would see him represent West Ham United, Man Utd, City and Juventus before finally returning home to La Boca at the age of 31.
Regaining the Libertadores title Boca last won in 2007 was the principal motivation for Carlitos, but, despite several deep runs in the competition, the trophy remained elusive.
Tevez came closest to achieving that goal in 2018, losing out to arch-rivals River Plate in the final; the second leg of which was infamously held in Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium due to crowd trouble.
He nevertheless bows out as one of the most decorated players not just for Boca but in world football history.
The forward boasts 11 major titles for the Xeneize, the latest coming at the start of this year in the Copa Diego Armando Maradona, while in his club career as a whole he picked up 26 winners' medals.
His final attempt to add to that tally ended in disappointment, though, as on Monday he smashed a penalty onto the crossbar and Boca subsequently crashed out of the Copa Liga Profesional at the hands of Racing Club in a semi-final penalty shoot-out, which turned out to be his last game for the club.