Alex Tettey has decided to keep playing and is joining former club Rosenborg following his Norwich City exit, with the season in Norway only just getting started.
The defensive midfielder brought an end to nine seasons as a Canaries player at the weekend, when he started a 2-2 draw at Barnsley as the champions concluded their season and lifted the Championship trophy.
The 35-year-old enjoyed an emotional farewell ahead of the expiration of his contract and revealed he had until today to decide if he wants to continue playing, having previously said he intends to return to Norway.
Born in Ghana, Tettey moved to the Scandinavian country as a child and began his career with Rosenborg, making 120 appearances before joining French club Rennes in 2009 and then moving on to Norwich in 2012.
He scored three goals in 34 games for Norway, deciding to retire from international football in 2017 as he managed a knee injury.
The domestic season started on Sunday in Norway, with Rosenborg being held to a 1-1 draw at Vaalerenga, and is due to conclude in December.
Tettey has only just finished the Championship campaign with Norwich so will move back to Trondheim with his family later this month with the intention of joining his new team-mates in June, after completing the required coronavirus quarantine.
Rosenborg are 28-time champions but their last title was in 2018, finishing fourth last season, which means they have qualifiers for the new Europa Conference League from July.
Confirming the one-season deal, Rosenborg also said the intention is for Tettey to move into their academy coaching set-up when he retires.
"It is written in the stars that it would be nice to end my career in Rosenborg," the Canaries legend told his club's website.
"Now is a suitable time to go home and Rosenborg is my team. When they approached me and everything was in order, it was very difficult to say no."
Tettey won the Tippeligaen title twice, in 2006 and 2009, during his previous spell at Rosenborg - who are managed by a former Norwich player, Aage Hareide.
The former Norway and Denmark manager was a defender who also had a stint at Manchester City, scoring three goals in 54 games for the Canaries between 1982 and 1984.
Tettey isn't ruling out continuing playing after this season but thinks it's likely he will retire later this year.
"I like Aage very much and he is a coach I trust a lot. He is very skilled," added Tettey. "The combination of several things makes me think 'why not'.
"The goal is to do our absolute best this year and then we will see how the body is. If it is possible to continue and I'm still happy, there will be a new decision. But most likely I will stop and do something else after this year here."
Tettey has been given an extremely warm send-off in recent days, after making his final appearance as a Norwich player on Saturday, his 263rd in total to place him joint 32nd in the club's all-time appearances list.
He had signed a one-year extension knowing he was likely to be taking on the role of elder statesman in the City squad, with Tottenham loanee Oliver Skipp eventually coming in and becoming a key player as the starting defensive midfielder.
Tettey made 22 appearances in all competitions this season, making his fifth league start of the campaign as he played 87 minutes at Barnsley on Saturday, receiving a rousing reception from his team-mates when he was substituted.
MORE: Tettey fights back the tears after emotional City farewell
He has been speaking of how much he loved his time in Norfolk in recent days - and is expected to return to say a farewell to Canaries fans during a Premier League match-day next season, when it's hoped Carrow Road will be back to full capacity.
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