Portugal legend Luis Figo has picked up a bad calf strain that could end his career, doctors at his club Inter said Thursday.
The 35-year-old former Barcelona and Real Madrid winger sustained the injury in Inter's Italian Cup semi-final first leg against Lazio on Wednesday.
He will be out for the rest of the season, doctors said.
The 2000 European Footballer of the Year said earlier this year that this would be his last season but Inter owner Massimo Moratti is trying to change his mind.
Earlier this year Figo denied reports he was eyeing a move to the United States.
Figo joined Inter from Real in 2005 and has scored eight goals in 81 appearances.
From 2000 to 2005 he turned out 165 times for Real, scoring 36 times. In five years at Barca, before his controversial world-record move to Madrid, he scored 30 times in 172 matches.
He played 127 games for Portugal, scoring 32 times, and is considered by many as second only to Eusebio as the country's greatest player ever.
He retired after Portugal's loss to Greece at Euro 2004 but came back to help his country to fourth place at the 2006 World Cup.
Figo set up Portugal's only goal in a 3-1 defeat to Germany in the third-place play-off.
As well as his Ballon d'Or in 2000, he was FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001.
