Football: Former Japan forward Lee to retire at end of season

Former Japan and Southampton forward Tadanari Lee is retiring at the end of the season, Albirex Niigata Singapore announced Thursday.

The 37-year-old scored the winning volley for Japan in the 2011 Asian Cup final against Australia as the Samurai Blue won 1-0 after extra time in Doha.

Lee joined FC Tokyo in 2004 and played for Kashiwa Reysol and Sanfrecce Hiroshima before joining Southampton in January 2012, then in the English second-tier Championship.

He did not make a single Premier League appearance following the Saints’ promotion and returned to Japan in 2014, playing for Urawa Reds, Yoko...