A 39-year-old said in a social network that he decided after doctors advised him to undergo surgery to hip replacement.
“The time has come”
Athletic Bilbao club forward Aritz Aduriz has announced his retirement from football. A 39-year-old said in a social network that he decided after doctors advised him to undergo surgery to hip replacement. “The time has come,” the message of Aduris began. “Many times, I said that football would leave you before you leave it. Yesterday, the doctors told me to go to the surgeon, sooner or later, to get a prosthesis to replace my hip and try and go about my daily life as normal as possible. “Unfortunately, my body said, “enough.” I cannot help my colleagues as I would like, and as they deserve. That is the life of a professional sportsman. Simple, very simple.”
2019-2020 campaign would be last for Aduriz
Aduriz suggested that 2019-2020 would be his last season, and it seemed that he would get a chance for the famous farewell. While Athletic in the final of Copa del Rey will face Basque rivals Real Sociedad. Nevertheless, the suspension of the Spanish campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic means that there is no validity when or even if the Copa finals will be played. The epidemic we are suffering from has caused irreparable damage to us, and we must continue to fight it together,” he said. “Therefore, I do not want you to worry about me, and this is just a joke. Let’s forget about the finals that we dreamed about because we will have time to say goodbye. And yes, the time has come to say goodbye, and this is how the road ends for me – memorable and enjoyable, from beginning to end.
“Thank you from all my heart.” Aduriz began his senior career with Athletic, but also enjoyed spells with Real Valladolid, Real Mallorca, and Valencia. Something like the late heyday in older football, he did not join Athletic until he was 19 years old and may have played his best football in the 30s. He won his first Spanish Cup in 2010 before earning a recall six years later at the age of 35, gaining a spot in the Vicente del Bosque’s squad for Euro 2016. Deciding to end his career after 2019-20, he began the season by scoring a stunning overhead kick to capture a 1–0 victory over Barcelona at San Mames last August.
Thus, he became the only player, except Lionel Messi, who scored in 15 seasons of La Liga consecutive. Still, he only played a further 13 times in La Liga – all as a substitute – and again failed to score.