Euro 2020 winner Ciro Immobile announces retirement at 36

Ciro Immobile, a member of Italy's Euro 2020-winning squad, announced his retirement from football on Friday at the age of 36, addressing the decision in a video message directed at his teammates at French club Paris FC, whom he had joined in January.

"It's a very difficult moment for me because it's the end of one of the greatest periods of my life," Immobile said. "I loved this job with all my heart but I want to be honest with myself about the current situation."

He pointed to the physical toll of continuing at the top level as central to his decision. "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 explained, before turning to the personal cost the career had placed on his family.

"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."

Immobile finishes with 350 goals from 656 appearances across a career spent mostly in Italy. His most prolific spell came at Lazio, where he scored 207 goals in 340 matches between 2016 and 2024 to become the club's all-time leading scorer.

He also had spells abroad with Borussia Dortmund between 2014 and 2016, a brief stint at Sevilla in 2016, and a period in Turkey with Besiktas. At international level, he earned 57 caps for Italy and was part of the squad that won the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, beating England on penalties at Wembley in 2021.

A serious thigh injury disrupted his final months in Italian football before he moved to newly promoted Paris FC, owned by the LVMH luxury group family, on a short-term deal in February with the option of a further year. He managed just two league goals in his short time at the club.