The Kiwi international is second only to Besart Berisha in the league’s all-time scoring charts, with a total of 92 goals in 190 appearances.

The 36-year-old Kiwi announced he was hanging up his boots on Instagram, admitting it was hard to sum up a career littered with so many highs.

A coaching career now awaits.

“It’s difficult to put a career into words,” he said.

“The time comes to us all and I guess I know the right time is now for me to announce my retirement from professional football.

“I feel blessed to have had an 18 year career that’s made me who I am today! What a ride … ups and downs, boyhood dreams coming true from World Cup, Olympics, playing against the world’s best and too many goals for one bag to carry!”

 

It’s difficult to put a career into words. The time comes to us all & I guess I know the right time is now for me to announce my retirement from professional football. I feel blessed to have had an 18 year career that’s made me who I am today! What a ride .. ups & downs, boyhood dreams coming true from World Cup, Olympics, playing against the worlds best & too many goals for one bag to carry! ⚽️�� The friendships along the way are priceless & I would love to thank everyone who’s been a part of my career (too many to mention) every club, every teammate & every fan that’s seen the journey. I want to thank my mum & dad for their support from the very start and special mention to my amazing wife & kids .. without them this all wouldn’t have been possible! Now that I’ve closed the door on my playing days I’m looking forward to taking every bit of experience & knowledge I’ve gained into my next chapter and I’m pleased to say I will be staying in the game that I love until I stop breathing 🙌🏼⚽️ thanks to @pineyzb for great write up- link in comments 👍🏼

A post shared by SHANE SMELTZ (@shane.smeltz) on

 

Smeltz paid tribute to the friends he had made along the way, his family, former clubs and teammates and the fans. “I’m pleased to say I will be staying in the game that I love until I stop breathing.”

Now based on the Gold Coast, he told the New Zealand Herald that his next step was going overseas to complete his UEFA A coaching licence.

"I'm not just going into coaching to take up a job," he said. "I go into it with drive and ambition which I always had as a player. I'm excited and really looking forward to it."

Smeltz scores against Italy at the 2010 World Cup

In an impressive international career Smeltz scored 24 goals in 58 appearances for the All Whites, including a memorable strike against defending champions Italy in a 1-1 draw at the 2010 World Cup.

Much travelled, the German-born striker lined up for more than a dozen different clubs throughout his professional career, and during a prolific decade in the A-League wore the jerseys of Wellington Phoenix (twice), Gold Coast United (twice), Perth Glory and Sydney FC.

He famously battled Melbourne Victory legend Archie Thompson for goalscoring supremacy, in the end shading the Victory man by just two goals.

His most recent club was Borneo FC in Indonesia's Liga 1.