ISTANBUL 

Bafetimbi Gomis, former France striker, has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 39.

"It wasn’t an easy decision. My heart is still there and football will continue to flow through my veins," Gomis told DAZN, which is a British over-the-top sports streaming and entertainment platform.

"I will open up a new chapter in my life but I’ll stay for other projects in football,” he said on Sunday.

Gomis began his career in 2004 with the Saint-Etienne team and later played for Troyes, Olympique Lyon, Swansea City, Olympique Marseille, Galatasaray, Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, and Japan's Kawasaki Frontale.

He won two Turkish Super Lig titles with Galatasaray in 2018 and 2023, and in 2017-18 season, he was the top scorer in the Turkish top-flight division, with 29 goals.

The 39-year-old has 12 caps for the French national team, scoring three goals.

The French forward scored 353 goals in 785 matches throughout his career.