Alessandro Florenzi retires: emotional farewell from “grandma’s favourite” | OneFootball

With a video on social media, the former Roma and Milan player announces his farewell to football, worn out by many injuries throughout his career. With the national team, he won the European Championship.

Alessandro Florenzi says goodbye to football: the emotional farewell of a champion with 525 appearances

At 34, the former Roma captain and European champion with Italy announces his retirement with an emotional message: “Thank you for everything, my friend.”

Alessandro Florenzi officially ends his career as a footballer. With a touching video posted on social media, filmed on a dirt field in Rome, the same one where he took his first steps and which today bears the name of Francesco Valdiserri, the player announced his farewell to playing football. “Today we say goodbye, but you will always be a part of me,” reads his letter to the ball.

A career between Roma, Milan, and the National Team

Raised in the Roman youth academies, Florenzi wore the jerseys of Roma, Crotone, Valencia, Paris Saint-Germain, and Milan, leaving an indelible mark at each of his stops. With Roma, he was captain and a protagonist in Europe, with Milan he won a league title and a Super Cup, while with the National Team he celebrated the victory of the 2021 European Championship.

Among the most iconic moments of his career stands out the goal from midfield against Barcelona in the Champions League, a technical gesture that entered the collective memory of fans. However, there were also obstacles: three serious cruciate ligament tears and numerous muscle problems limited his continuity in recent years.

Farewell words

In his message, Florenzi thanked fans, teammates, coaches, and directors:

“Thank you for everything, my friend. You taught me to love all the fans, from the first to the last. Each of you pushed me to improve and to get back up from falls. I thank every teammate and coach: your support allowed me to grow as a man and a footballer. Today we say goodbye, but you will always be a part of me.”

Future still to be written

After being released from Milan last July, Florenzi turned down some offers from abroad (Turkey and Spain, with Valencia interested in welcoming him back) choosing to end his career at 34. Now the future could still remain linked to the world of football, perhaps with a new role off the field.

The numbers of his career

In over 15 years of professionalism, Florenzi collected:

525 official appearances

75 goals and 43 assists

1 league title and 1 Super Cup with Milan

1 European Championship with Italy (2021)

A journey that starts from the fields behind the containers and reaches the stages of Olimpico, San Siro, and Wembley, marking a generation of fans.

Among the most affectionate details related to Florenzi's figure is the origin of his famous nickname, “bello de nonna” due to a memorable celebration with his grandmother during a Roma match. It was September 21, 2014, Alessandro Florenzi hadn't scored for six months, and after the 2-0 goal against Cagliari, he ran to the stands to hug his grandmother Aurora, who burst into tears of joy.

“It was the first time,” he told Sky, “my grandmother is fantastic, she never came even when I was a child and it was more convenient to do so, this time she made all this effort, at 82 years old. She told me, after I missed a goal with the National Team: I’m coming to the stadium, just to see you, but come and greet me.”

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