A Uruguayan goalkeeper has been forced to retire from football after losing four fingers in a DIY accident.

Juan Obelar, formerly of Penarol, was left with only a thumb remaining on his left hand after accidentally severing his other digits with a wood plane.

"I was doing a few things for my house, putting wood through a plane and the next thing I know the machine ripped off four fingers," Eurosport quotes him as saying.

"I was on my own, I didn't have help from anyone and the only digit I had left was my thumb."

The 34-year-old will undergo reconstructive surgery, but has been told that there is no chance of reattaching any of his severed fingers.

"They have already told me I am not going to recover a single finger but they will try to rebuild me a bit," he added. "I feel so awful, this is the most horrendous thing that has ever happened to me. It is a very painful moment."

Obelar was taking a six-month hiatus from football when the incident occurred, but was planning to return to the sport in January.