Artiz Aduriz has announced his decision to retire.

The 39-year-old Athletic Club forward brings to an end a more than two-decade long playing career that began in 1999.

The former Spain international had said the 2019-20 season would be his last as a player, however, injuries and the suspension of sport due to the coronavirus pandemic have forced him to bow out earlier than anticipated.

A veteran of LaLiga, Aduriz played 443 games in the Spanish top-flight during his spells with Athletic Club, Valladolid, Mallorca and Valencia, and scored 158 goals.

Along with Lionel Messi, he is one of only two players to have scored in 15 straight LaLiga seasons.    

Something of a late bloomer in senior football, he did not join Athletic until he was already 19 and arguably played his finest football in his 30s.

He won his first Spain cap in 2010 before earning a recall six years later at the age of 35, winning a spot in Vicente del Bosque's squad for Euro 2016.

Aduriz had hoped to end his third spell with The Lions by winning the Copa del Rey, the final of which - the first all-Basque encounter in the competition's history - was initially scheduled to take place at Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville on April 18.

The Athletic striker explained his decision via social media: "The moment has arrived. I've said many times that football leaves you before you leave the game. Yesterday the club doctors recommended that I undergo surgery for a hip replacement to regain as much normalcy as possible.

"Sadly, my body has had enough. I can't help my teammates in the way I'd like or that they deserve. Life can be like that for professional athletes too. It's simple, very simple. 

"Sadly we are living through a much more serious and painful situation; this pandemic we are still experiencing has irrevocably damaged us and together we must fight to eradicate it. With that said, don't worry about me, this is just a story.

"Let's forget about those dream finales because we'll have time for a proper farewells. Now is the time to say goodbye and bring this journey, which was unforgettable and marvelous from beginning to end, to an end.

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart," Aduriz signed off.