FOXBOROUGH — Tedy Bruschi retired yesterday after a 13-year NFL career in which he won three Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and made a gallant return from a stroke.

The inside linebacker played for no other team and leaves football with only one unachieved goal — a fourth championship. “I’m 36 years old,” Bruschi said. “Your body doesn’t heal as quickly.”

He came back from a mild stroke in February 2005 to play eight months later. “I was retired,” he said. “I didn’t think it was possible” to play again.

Bruschi’s performance declined last year. He missed much of training camp with an undisclosed injury but played in two of the team’s last three exhibition games.

Coach Bill Belichick, usually stoic, choked up as he discussed Bruschi. “How do I feel about Tedy Bruschi?” Belichick said. “He’s a perfect player.”

Bruschi’s reaction? “That’s something you’ll never hear during your career,” he said as he and Belichick laughed. “To have him say that to me is probably the best compliment he could ever give me.”