Ciro Immobile, a member of Italy’s Euro 2020-winning team, announced his retirement from football at the age of 36 in a video.
In the video, Immobile spoke to his teammates at French Ligue 1 club Paris FC, which he joined in January.
He said the decision was difficult because it marked the end of one of the most important periods of his life. Immobile said he had loved football with all his heart but wanted to be honest with himself about his current situation.
He explained that it had become difficult to continue when he was in pain during training and could no longer give his best.
Immobile said the decision was not easy because his teammates had become like a family to him. However, he said it was now time to spend more time with his family, who had supported and followed him throughout his 17-year career.
The prolific striker scored 350 goals in 656 matches for several clubs.
He scored 207 goals in 340 appearances for Lazio, where he played from 2016 to 2024 and became the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Immobile also played outside Italy for Borussia Dortmund from 2014 to 2016, Sevilla in 2016 and Besiktas in Turkey.
He earned 57 international caps for Italy and was part of the Squadra Azzurra team that won the European Championship in 2021. The tournament had been delayed from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy defeated England in a penalty shootout at Wembley to win the title.
After a serious thigh injury kept him out of action in Italy, Immobile joined Paris FC in February until the end of the season, with an option for an additional year.
He scored only two league goals for the newly promoted club, which is owned by the family behind LVMH’s luxury brands.
