Daniele De Rossi retires from football | OneFootball

Italy legend Daniele De Rossi has announced his retirement from football.

Having spent the majority of his career with boyhood club Roma, the 36-year-old left last year, making a surprise move to Boca Juniors.

However, De Rossi made just four league appearances during his time at La Bombonera.

In a press conference in Buenos Aires on Monday, Boca president Jorge Amor Ameal confirmed that the Italian had left the club and has now hung up his boots.

Despite having six months remaining on his contract, De Rossi has immediately returned to Italy after agreeing his exit.

Speaking in front of the gathered media, De Rossi revealed his reasons for leaving: “Neither myself nor my family or my daughter have health problems. I need to be closer to my daughter. I miss her, she misses me.

“There’s nothing more. It’s a decision you make when your 36 years old, maybe had I been 25 I would have decided something different.

“I can’t really say much about the new directors (of the club), we worked only a few days together and they tried to convince me (to keep on playing).

“They’re been more than supportive this whole time. I told them my decision was final, they asked me to take a couple of days to think it over.”

De Rossi represented Roma from 2001 until 2019 and is second only to Francesco Totti on the club’s all-time appearance list with over 600.

The midfielder won two Coppa Italia trophies and a Supercoppa Italiana during his time at the Stadio Olimpico.

In addition, he won 117 caps for Italy and was a World Cup winner in 2006.