Ex-Man Utd Star Anderson Officially Retires From Professional Football Aged 31

Former Manchester United midfielder Anderson has officially retired from professional football to take up a role behind the scenes at a club in Turkey. The

Former Manchester United midfielder Anderson has officially retired from professional football to take up a role behind the scenes at a club in Turkey.

The 31-year-old, who won the Golden Boy award in 2008, made 290 senior club appearances during his career and also featured nine times with Brazil.

Most recently spending time with Turkish second division side Adana Demirspor, Anderson will now take up an off-field position after retiring and also take a €400,000 pay cut.

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"Anderson spent the camp period very well, but was not involved in squad planning. Anderson got a job, he went to work and decided to quit football," Adana president Murat Sancak told Radyospor.

"Anderson reduced his contract which was €600,000 for this season to €200,000. Anderson will continue to work at our club. I think it will be especially effective in our foreign relations."

Anderson first started to make a name for himself with hometown side Grêmio and earned a move to FC Porto in 2005, joining in what was a club-record deal for the Portuguese giants at the time.

He made 22 appearances for Porto over two years before joining Manchester United in a £28.35m deal, winning the Golden Boy award the following season - succeeding the previous winner, Sergio Agüero.

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Since ending a seven-year spell at Old Trafford, which also included a loan spell at Fiorentina, Anderson returned to Brazil and spent time with Internacional, as well as Coritiba.

Anderson took a career break last year before joining Adana Demirspor, but he's now decided to hang up his boots at just 31 years old and will instead start working behind the scenes with the Turkish second division side.