Bonucci announces retirement at Fenerbahce

Italy international Leonardo Bonucci has announced his retirement at the age of 37 at Fenerbahce. ‘I want to finish my career with a cup.’

The defender joined Fenerbahce in the January transfer window following an ill-fated transfer to Union Berlin last summer.

He had hoped to do enough this season to earn himself a place in the EURO 2024 squad, but when Luciano Spalletti left him out of the preliminary list, it was time to hang up his boots.

“It was a pleasure for me to be a part of this wonderful family,” Bonucci told the official Fenerbahce website.

“I tried to show my best, on and off the field, but most importantly, we will fight our last battle tomorrow. I want to finish my career with a cup and we have the opportunity to become champions tomorrow.”

Bonucci bows out in Istanbul

He was presented with a special jersey signed by all his teammates in Istanbul ahead of tomorrow’s Super Lig showdown with Istanbulspor, but need Galatasaray to lose with Konyaspor.

Bonucci turned 37 on May 1 and spent most of his career at Juventus from 2010 to 2023, save for a brief spell at Milan in the 2017-18 campaign.

His other clubs were Inter, Treviso, Pisa, Genoa and Bari.

The central defender also amassed 121 senior caps for Italy, scoring eight goals and winning the EURO 2020 tournament.