In his last match, against Libertad of Paraguay on Wednesday, Nelson asked to be brought off at halftime because his presence on the pitch, and the catcalls it provoked, was a distraction to his teammates.

The good news is that he says he doesn't need football any more. He say he'ss made plenty of money, and he's played in a world cup. And don't forget you played for the best team in the world too, Nelson. We wish you a pleasant retirement.

Another Arsenal old-boy has been attracting the wrong kind of attention from a so-called football supporter too. Ian Wright was at the Man City vs QPR League Cup tie tonight, to watch his son Shaun Wright-Phillips put in a match winning 2-goal performance. Watching from inside the directors box, Ian got into a row with a fan just outside it. Kevin Keegan later confirmed that nasty things were said to Wrighty, and QPR have confirmed that the nature of their fan's verbal attack was racial. He was arrested.