The captain of China's women's national soccer team and one of the game's greatest players, Sun Wen, announced her retirement Thursday following China's devastating 1-0 quarter-final loss to Canada in the Women's World Cup, state press reported.

"I have played my last game," she was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying following the loss in Portland, Oregon.

"Football is just a game, now life must move on."

Sun, 30, is one of only a few players in the world to have played in all four Women's World Cups, scoring 106 goals in 152 caps for a Chinese team that placed second in both the 1996 Olympics and the 1999 World Cup.

"I felt we had a chance trailing 1-0 in the game," she said. "I never gave up. I fought until the last second."

Sun said she will further her study of international relations in Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University, but has not decided what to do after graduation.

"Maybe I will become a coach. But so far, I have not made the decision. I have a lot of time.

"But one thing is certain. I have played my last game. I will neither play for China nor for any clubs."

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