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Sneijder could continue playing as agent admits 'complete surprise' to retirement announcement

The former Netherlands star suggested his playing days were over on Monday, but his agent says the comment was "a slip of the tongue"

Wesley Sneijder's retirement announcement came as "a complete surprise" to his agent, who says the Netherlands great could yet continue playing.

Former Inter star Sneijder suggested on Monday his playing days were over as Utrecht announced a new business agreement with the 35-year-old.

Sneijder had told Utrecht's official TV channel : "I have a lot of love for this city. Now that I've quit playing, I want a nice place to share my experiences."

The all-time leading appearance-maker for Netherlands has been without a club since his contract with Al-Gharafa expired last month.

However, the playmaker's representative, Guido Albers, admitted he was totally surprised by the announcement and says a final decision will not be made until he has met with Sneijder to discuss his plans in the coming days.

Albers also suggested Sneijder may have other options available to him, though he did appear to indicate retirement had been on the table for the former Netherlands international.

"It was a complete surprise for us that he announced it this way," he said to FOX Sports.

"I had planned a meeting with him next Thursday to discuss the options he still has and then we were going to decide how to announce this to the public. So, next Thursday we can decide if this decision is certain.

"He has some things to do in Doha, where he still lives and there are still a few clubs who probably want to sign him, so I'd like to tell him about that.

"He just came back from America. We will discuss it on Thursday and then he can decide what to do. Normally you consult each other about these things, but I think he just announced it in all his enthusiasm today."

Should Sneijder stick to his decision, he leaves the game having accumulated plenty of titles at the club level, having secured a historic treble with Jose Mourinho at Inter in 2009-10, as well as league titles with Ajax, Real Madrid and Galatasaray.

He was capped by the Netherlands 134 times between 2003-2018, and was part of World Cup finalist squad at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, as well as a third-place finish in Brazil four years later.

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