Joel Ward has confirmed he is not planning to retire from football after he leaves Crystal Palace this summer.
The Eagles club captain will depart Selhurst Park when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Ward says he wants to continue playing football[/caption]
GettyThe Palace captain lifted the FA Cup on Saturday after beating Manchester City[/caption]
Ward has made 363 appearances for Palace during 13 years with the club since signing from Portsmouth in 2012.
The 35-year-old capped his time in south London by lifting the FA Cup on Saturday.
Palace’s first major trophy follows a final defeat in 2016, which Ward started.
He was also part of the side promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs at the end of his first season with the club.
Despite leaving Palace, Ward has no plans to hang up his boots just yet, telling talkSPORT he’s definitely not retiring.
The right-back said on Drive: “The idea is to carry on. I’ve still got the hunger, still got the desire to play and to cross that white line. So until that leaves my body, I don’t plan on giving up any time soon.”
Although he has played just 12 minutes this season, Ward was amongst the substitutes at Wembley Stadium.
He believes his exit from the club could not have come at a better time following the historic FA Cup triumph.
Ward added: “As it stands right now, the baton is going to be passed and I don’t think there’s much of a better way to do that from the weekend celebrations.
“To come into my first year at Palace 13 years ago and lift the play-off final trophy and obviously lift the FA Cup in my last year was something special.
GettyWard will leave Palace at the end of the season after 13 years with the club[/caption]
GettyThe full-back is the Eagles’ eighth highest appearances maker with 363 matches to his name[/caption]
“I think at the moment that’s where it stands and I don’t think there’s a better ending to it.”
Ward will leave Palace as their eighth highest appearance maker of all-time behind former striker Dougie Freedman.
His exit means he will miss out on the opportunity to represent the club in Europe next season.
However, the veteran defender is ready for a ‘new chapter’ after leaving the club.
Ward continued: “For me, I’m content and I’m happy and the rest will take care of itself, but I know it’s a new chapter.”
Palace’s FA Cup victory means Oliver Glasner’s side will appear in the Europa League next term.
They will enter the competition in the league phase alongside the club which finishes sixth in the Premier League.
Their only previous continental experience came in the Intertoto Cup in 1998.
