Samuel Eto'o, the former Chelsea, Barcelona and Everton striker, has announced his retirement from football, aged 38.

Announcing his retirement in an Instagram post on Saturday, Eto'o said:

"The end. Toward a new challenge. Thank you all big love."

The Cameroon international played for some of Europe's top clubs over a 22-year career, starting at Real Madrid in 1997.

View this post on Instagram

THE END😉 VERS UN NOUVEAU DÉFI... Merci à vous tous big love ❤️ adrénaline 💉💉💉💉💉💉

A post shared by Samuel Eto'o (@setoo9) on Sep 6, 2019 at 12:15pm PDT

After several loan spells and a period at Mallorca, Eto'o moved to Barcelona where he stayed for five years winning three league titles, two Champions League titles and the Copa del Rey, before spending time with Inter Milan, Chelsea and Everton, among others.

Eto'o, who is Cameroon's all-time leading scorer also had over 100 caps for his country, with whom he twice won the African Cup of Nations.

He finished his career at Qatar SC, where he spent last season.