Veteran goalkeeper Fabien Barthez quit after he was attacked by fans, Angelo Peruzzi could only play with painkilling injections and Hans-Jorg Butt couldn't get a match.

Barthez last night confirmed he would not be playing again for Ligue 1 strugglers Nantes.

The 1998 World Cup winner was attacked by a group of Les Canaris fans on Saturday night, hours after a 2-0 home defeat to Rennes.

The 35-year-old was forced to stop his car as he was driving out of the club's training ground, and ended up trading blows with a supporter who had attempted to get inside the Porsche. Other fans were seen punching and kicking the vehicle.

Barthez said he was quitting the club for safety reasons. "I will not play for Nantes again," he said.

"What happened went beyond the scope of sport. It has nothing to do with football. I no longer feel safe there and it's better for me to leave."

Barthez did not attend training with Les Canaris on Sunday, choosing instead to leave the city with his family.

He came out of retirement in December to sign a short-term contract with Nantes, tying him to the club until the end of the season.

But he has made some errors in his five months there and has been barracked by fans.

His most high-profile gaffe came on April 1 when he spilled a seemingly harmless cross into his own net to hand relegation rivals Sedan a 1-0 victory at the Stade de la Beaujoire.

Nantes are currently bottom of the Ligue 1 table, eight points adrift of safety with four games remaining. This weekend, they could be relegated from the top flight for the first time in 44 years.

"The fact that I have been whistled at during the match, which has happened for the past five months, is something I accept because it is part of the game," he added.

"But then happened something that isn't part of sport.

"A group of five or six guys came to block my exit from the stadium. They wanted me to get out of the car.

"They banged the car and on my window. As I hadn't locked the door, they opened it. Someone tried to kick me. Then I was scared, so I defended myself."

Monday's decision raises the possibility Barthez could quit the game for a second time.

And veteran goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi of Lazio has retired with immediate effect but the club is hoping he will change his mind and return for next season.

The former Italy international decided to stop playing following his club's goalless draw with city rivals Roma on Sunday.

The 37-year-old played that game with the aid of painkilling injections on a broken finger, and decided afterwards that enough was enough.

"I made the decision in January to quit," he said on Italian television.

"It looks like this will have been my last game because I cannot continue to play with injections."

His contract with the Biancocelesti was due to run until the end of next season and coach Delio Rossi hopes he reconsiders and appears for his side in the Champions League next season.

"I hope this is not his last derby," said Rossi.

"He is a big champion and I hope he reconsiders."

Meanwhile veteran goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt is on the lookout for a new club after terminating his contract with Bayer Leverkusen.

The 33-year-old, who was contracted to the North-Rhein Westphalian club until June 2009, took the decision to leave after finding his first-team opportunities limited after picking up a red card earlier this season.

Rene Adler deputised for Butt during his subsequent suspension period, and has since retained the number-one jersey.

Butt's inactivity has triggered a get-out clause in his contract which permits him to leave should he feature in fewer than half of the team's games during the second half of a season.

Bayer president Wolfgang Holzhauser told www.bayer04.de: "We understand Hans-Jorg Butt's decision. He has given this club a great service."