FORMER Cherries goalkeeper Artur Boruc has finally announced his retirement aged 42 – and admits he is ditching football in favour of “sunny California”.

The Polish international hero, who earned 65 caps for his country, made 129 appearances for the Dean Court side between 2014-19 after joining initially on loan.

Boruc helped Cherries to earn Premier League promotion in the 2014-15 campaign with an 16 clean sheets in 37 Championship matches.

The Pole spent the rest of his career playing at Legia Warsaw – across two stints, – Scottish giants Celtic and south coast neighbours Saints, whom he joined Cherries from.

He has been playing in the Polish premier division for his boyhood club since leaving England in August 2020, but has just one match left before he puts away the gloves for good.

Boruc will star in a testimonial-style match between Legia and Celtic this summer but fears he cannot continue any further for health reasons. He then looks to leave his home country for good in search of sun – and beer!

The 42-year-old said: "I will play the last game in my career in the colours of Legia against Celtic, whom I also support and are a club very close to me, where I spent great years.

"The match is a very nice initiative on the part of Legia, a really good ending to my adventure. I am very happy with this match.

"Unfortunately, my advancing years and health doesn't allow me to represent the colours of Legia Warsaw at an appropriate level. So I decided to stop. My health will not allow me to continue.

"I feel more and more ailments and it this season was probably one of the first moments when I got scared of what might happen in my life in the future. I started to pay a little less attention to football and a little more to health.”

He continued: "Ultimately, I think that I will not live in Poland, my wife and I think about the United States - perhaps sunny California, to have warm and beautiful weather for 300 days a year.

"I have no idea what I will do in the future. Football has been my life. I have never really thought about it. I read a story in Poland that said I was going to go into scouting when I retire.

"Where could I be a scout? Maybe in the bars of Warsaw to scout for the best beer! No, I don't want to stay in football."