'I thought it would last forever': Canadian soccer star Julian de Guzman retires

Julian de Guzman, the captain of the Canadianmen's soccer team and one of the country's most accomplished players, has announced his retirement.

De Guzman made the announcement Monday afternoon in Ottawa, where the midfielder had been serving as the captain ofOttawa Fury FC.

"I never imagined I would come across a moment like this. I thought it would last forever, for the rest of mylife," said an emotional de Guzman.

"It's never easy to let go of something you love so much. This sport has given me so many wonderful memories that will last me for the rest of my life."

Player of the year in 2008

The 35-year-old deGuzmanis the most-capped member of the national team, having played in 89 matches since first joining the club in 2002.

De Guzman played in four different World Cup campaigns, and was named Canadian Player of the Year in 2008.

During his 17-year career, deGuzmanplayed for teams in professional leagues in Germany, Spain, Greece, and the United States.He was the first Canadian to star in LaLiga, the top Spanish soccer league, playing from 2005 to 2009 withDeportivo La Corua.

The Toronto-born de Guzmanreturned to Canada in 2009 and ended up playing parts of four seasonswith his hometown club Toronto FC.

He signed with Ottawa FuryFCin 2015, and will stay on with the club as its assistant coach and assistant general manager.

It wasn't a game for Julian. It was a way of life.- Paul Dalglish, Ottawa Fury FC head coach

"When you hear him talk, and the amount of passion that he's got for the game, you realize it wasn't a game for Julian. It was a way of life," said Paul Dalglish, the Fury's head coach and general manager.

"If he can instill that same passion into our players, in his role as an assistant coach, then the future's going to be very bright."

The club says it plans to honour de Guzman during the upcoming 2017 season.