European champion announces football retirement at 34 | OneFootball

The Italian right-back Alessandro Florenzi, a player who was at Milan, has announced his retirement from football at the age of 34. With a contract valid until the middle of this year, the athlete declined a possible renewal and thus chose to leave the pitch for good.

“I want to thank every teammate, coach, member of the technical staff, and manager, everyone without exception: day after day, your support and professionalism allowed me to grow as a man and as a player,” he wrote in a post on social media.

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Having come up through the youth ranks at Roma, Florenzi began his career in 2011 at the modest club Crotone. After a season on loan with the team, he returned to the capital club and became an idol.

During his eight seasons with Roma, he played 280 games, scored 28 goals, and provided 32 assists. Although he did not win any titles, he was able to captain the team and experienced memorable moments, such as the victory over Barcelona in the 2018 Champions League.

After a turbulent departure from Roma, Florenzi went out on loan several times. He played for Valencia, PSG, and Milan, winning three trophies: the French Cup, the French Super Cup, and the Italian Championship.

The greatest moment of Florenzi’s career was winning the 2021 European Championship. Although he was injured in the opening match and missed the rest of the tournament, the full-back was one of the squad’s leaders. He managed to play for two minutes in the final against England and watched from the field as Italy won their second continental title.

Read Florenzi’s letter in full:

‘Thank you for everything, my friend

You taught me to love all the fans, from the first to the last, without exception. Each of you motivated me to improve, and each of you helped me get back up from the falls that are part of this sport, just as they are in life: I am truly grateful.

I want to thank every teammate, coach, member of the technical staff, and manager, everyone without exception: day after day, your support and professionalism allowed me to grow as a man and as a player.

Thank you, Ale, for seeing something special in that little boy in the middle of the field 17 years ago. You and the WSA family were, are, and always will be an essential part of my life—not just in football.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who accompanied me on this long journey, especially the people who work quietly behind the scenes: each of you left a mark inside me. Without you, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

Once again, thank you, my friend: today we say goodbye, but you will always be a part of me.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.