Former Italy international Ciro Immobile announced Friday his retirement at the age of 36 following his departure from Paris FC.
ROME — Former Italy international Ciro Immobile announced Friday his retirement at the age of 36 following his departure from Paris FC.
In the video, Immobile spoke to his Paris FC teammates, having joined the French Ligue 1 club in January.
"It's a very difficult moment for me because it's the end of one of the greatest periods of my life. I loved this job with all my heart but I want to be honest with myself about the current situation," he explained.
"If I can no longer keep pushing when I'm in pain, when I'm training, if I can't give my best, it's hard," he added.
"It's not an easy decision because you are incredible guys, a great family... but for me it's time to spend time with my family. They followed me everywhere, I needed them for 17 years and today they need me."
As one of Italy's most prolific strikers in recent years, Immobile has represented numerous clubs including Juventus, Genoa and Borussia Dortmund, winning the Serie A top scorer of the season award on four occasions.
Ciro Immobile has enjoyed a prolific career, scoring 350 goals in 656 appearances for various clubs. His most successful spell came at Lazio, where he netted 207 goals in 340 matches between 2016 and 2024, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer.
During his spell with Lazio from 2016 to 2024, Immobile won one Italian Cup and two Italian Super Cup titles, and claimed the European Golden Shoe in the 2019-20 season, before becoming the club's all-time best scorer.
Immobile then played for Besiktas and Bologna, before joining Paris FC in January. He had two goals and two assists during his six-month stint with the France capital team.
At international level, Immobile earned 57 caps and scored 17 goals for Italy. He was part of the Azzurri squad that won the UEFA European Championship in 2021.