Italian football champion and captain of the national team, Leonardo Bonucci, has announced that he will retire at the end of the next football season. The 36-year-old defender still has one year left on his contract with Juventus, where he has won eight Serie A titles. Bonucci made this revelation during an interview on Juventus’ YouTube channel, noting that his retirement would signify the end of a defensive era in Italian football.
A nine-time Serie A champion and part of Italy’s Euro 2020-winning team, the esteemed defender has played 120 games for the national team. He has spent most of his career with Juventus, making his 500th appearance for the club in the Europa League match against Sevilla. Bonucci has also won one Serie A title with AC Milan, where he spent the 2017/2018 season.
Bonucci expressed pride in his success as a defender and his contributions to the sport. He acknowledged the opportunity he had to play alongside legendary Juventus players such as Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, and Gianluigi Buffon, forming one of football’s greatest defensive lines.
“I hope lots of future defenders — just as we had with [Franco] Baresi, [Alessandro] Nesta, [Paolo] Maldini, [Fabio] Cannavaro — will see us four as idols. It would mean we have achieved a lot and given the game a lot,” he said.
Bonucci’s retirement will be a significant loss to Juventus and Italian football, marking the end of an era of world-class defence. Football lovers worldwide will miss his talent and contribution to the sport.
