5 footballers who retired this season

#4 Andrea Barzagli

Barzagli is generally considered as one of Italy's finest defenders

In April 2019, Barzagli announced his decision to retire from football at the end of the current season. The 38-year-old made his professional debut with semi-professional side Rondinella in 1998.

Barzagli made his Serie A debut with Chievo in 2003 and eventually came to prominence while playing for Palermo. In 2008, he was signed by the German side Wolfsburg, where he remained for two and a half seasons, winning a Bundesliga title in 2009.

In 2011, Barzagli returned to Italy, joining Juventus, where he later won eight consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2019 including four consecutive Coppa Italia titles between 2015 and 2018. Alongside Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, Barzagli has been a part of one of the most celebrated defenses in Italian football history.

Considered a "late-bloomer", he stood out in Italy and in Europe in recent years, due to his marking, intelligence, aerial prowess, and tackling ability, as well as his correct behaviour, capacity to read the game, and his adeptness in one on one situations.

These attributes enabled him to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the world and was voted to the Serie A Team of the Year for three consecutive seasons, which made him an important member of both his club and national sides.