BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iconic Dutch footballer Wesley Sneijder announced his retirement on Monday at a visit to hometown club FC Utrecht, putting an end to his 17-year career.

"My connection to the town is big," the 35-year-old said. "Now I've retired from football I want a nice place to share my memories."

The former midfielder played a record 134 times for the Netherlands, and, along with the likes of Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart, helped the Oranje finish runners-up at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and third at the 2014 edition.

Making his debut in 2002 at 19 with Ajax, Sneijder also played for Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Galatasaray, winning domestic league titles with all four clubs and lifting the 2010 UEFA Champions League trophy with Inter.