Leonardo Bonucci announces retirement aged 37 after glittering career and says ‘an era of defence will be over’
ITALY and Juventus legend Leonardo Bonucci has revealed he will retire from football at the end of next season.
The Euro 2020 winner will call time on his career this time next year aged 37.
Speaking to Juventus’ YouTube channel, Bonucci said: “When I stop playing next year, it will be the end of a defensive era.”
While revealing his retirement, the comment was also a nod to former Juve team-mates Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.
They formed the spine of Juve’s team for many year, but Bonucci is the only one that remains at the club.
He went on to add: “I hope lots of future defenders, just as we had [Franco] Baresi, [Paolo] Maldini, [Alessandro] Nesta, [Fabio] Cannavaro, will see us four as idols.”
Bonucci’s current deal expires at the end of next season.
The defender made his professional debut back in 2006 with Inter Milan.
But he is best known for his time with Juventus, where he formed an incredible partnership with Chiellini, both for Juve and the Italy national team.
Bonucci joined Juventus in 2010, where, apart from the 2017-18 season with AC Milan, he has been ever since.
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He has made exactly 500 appearances for the club.
And the no-nonsense centre-back has won the Serie A title an incredible NINE times – eight with Juve and once with Inter.
Only Buffon (ten) has won the Scudetto more times than Bonucci.
However the Champions League trophy has proved elusive, with Bonucci experiencing heartbreaking defeats in the final on two occasions.
Bonucci has won 120 caps for Italy, the fourth-most in history, and took over as captain last September after Chiellini retired from international football.
He was integral to Italy’s Euro 2020 glory, and was named player of the match in the penalty shootout victory over England in the final.