Germany's Sebescen Forced to Retire

Former German international midfielder Zoltan Sebescen has been forced to retire from soccer after having six operations on his knee in the past two years. Bayer Leverkusen paid VfL Wolfsburg 6.3 million euros ($7.7 million) for Sebescen in 2001 but the midfielder managed just 72 games for the club and has decided to retire at the age of 29. "I gave up everything because I wanted to play again and have that feeling of running out at the stadium," Sebesecen told Die Welt. "But the price was too high as I still have 50 years in front of me and I want my knee to hold up." Sebescen played for Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid in Glasgow even though he was struggling with an injury. "I did it for the club and you only get the chance to play in games like that once in your lifetime," he added.