De la Pena to retire at end of season

The 35-year-old with the distinctive bald pate, who also had stints at Barcelona, Lazio and Olympique Marseille, will bid farewell to the home fans when Espanyol host Sevilla in their final match of the season on Saturday.

He has made only one appearance in La Liga this season when he played 31 minutes against Villarreal on matchday two.

"Just now I am not thinking about going into management as I am focusing on enjoying my last match on Saturday if the coach lets me play," an emotional De la Pena told a news conference when asked about his future plans.

"After that we'll see. I would like to maintain a link to football because it is what I have always done."