Patrice Evra announced his retirement from professional football on Tuesday after a career spanning 20 years with eight clubs.

Now 38, the Frenchman won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, five Community Shields and the Champions League once with Manchester United.

He also won Serie A and the Coppa Italia twice each during his two-and-a-half year stay with Juventus, which was followed by spells at Marseille and West Ham.

Evra goes down as one of the Premier League's best ever left-backs and will always be fondly remembered by United fans for his charisma.

"I love this game!" is the phrase Evra has coined over the last few years and writing for The Player Tribunal, he explained exactly why he loves football so much.

In one anecdote, the 81-time France international recalled the incredible pre-match team talk Sir Alex Ferguson gave in the dressing room before the 2008 Champions League final.

United beat Chelsea on penalties to be crowned champions of Europe and it seems Ferguson inspired the players.

"In some of the videos [on social media], I'll be hanging out with a panda or be dressed up as one myself," wrote Evra. "I'll dance and sing and whatever, and then I'll say, 'Be like a panda! I'm black, white, Asian and chubby. Say no to racism!'

"It's a strong message. I hope the panda will make people realise that we are all the same person, that we should all try to make the world a better place.

"Don't judge people on their weight, the colour of their skin, their hair or their eyes. We are all humans, we are all brothers and sisters. We are one big family.

"The panda reminds me of a speech that Ferguson gave us before our Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow in 2008.

"We were in the dressing room when the boss came in. As usual, the music stopped. You could hear a pin drop. Then Ferguson said, 'I've already won...'

"We looked at each other. He said, 'I've already won. We don't even need to play this game.' We were like, 'What is he talking about? The game hasn't even started.'

"Then Ferguson turned to me. 'Look at Patrice,' he said. 'He's got 24 brothers and sisters. Imagine what his mother had to do to put food on the table.'

"Then he turned to Wayne Rooney. 'Look at Wayne. He grew up in one of the toughest parts of Liverpool.'

"Then he turned to Park Ji-sung. 'Look at Ji, he’s come all the way from South Korea.'

"As the boss talked about our stories, we began to realise that he was referring to a fellowship. We were not just a football team - we were people from every corner of the world, from all kinds of cultures and races and religions.

"And now we were there, together in a dressing room in Moscow, fighting for a common cause. Through football, we had become brothers. 'THIS is my victory!' Ferguson said.

"We all got goosebumps. Then we went out and won the Champions League. That's Manchester United. That's why I love this game."