Former Norwich City striker Robert Earnshaw has announced his retirement from football.

The 59-time capped Wales international also played for the likes of West Brom, Derby and Nottingham Forest after starting his career at Cardiff City, where he scored over 100 goals in his first spell at his local club.

Earnshaw also played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and finished his career in Major League Soccer with spells at Toronto FC, Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps.

The 34-year-old is joint-seventh on Wales' all-time list of scorers with 16 goals.

Earnshaw moved to Carrow Road in January transfer deadline day in 2006, as a replacement for Dean Ashton, when Nigel Worthington signed him from West Brom for £2.75m – rising to £3.5m.

Earnshaw finished the campaign with eight goals and was flying the following season, with 17 goals by January 2007 before a groin injury kept him out for three months. However, his scoring feats attracted plenty of attention and in June he signed for Derby for £3.5m after a minimum fee clause in his contract was activated.

'Football taught me how to be a man on and off the field and to be a better person,' Zambia-born Earnshaw wrote on the official Whitecaps website.

'After 579 matches and 236 goals later in my 19th year, I can now say this chapter is turning to give me a chance to start a different role and give back what I've learned and experienced.

'I've always been scared to see the end of my playing days and now that it's here I'm sad.

'But I'm also excited that Vancouver Whitecaps FC have given me a chance to become the head coach of the U-14 Pre-Residency team, as well as the club's strikers' coach.'