MADRID, April 26: Real Madrid's midfielder Zinedine Zidane says he chose to announce his retirement on Tuesday to give the club time to prepare for next season.

“The club need to build a team so that they can win again,” Zidane said on Wednesday.

“They have always been good to me so it is the least I could do for them.”

The 33-year-old said on Tuesday he would retire after leading France in the World Cup in Germany, despite having a year left to run on his contract with Real.-—Agencies