Leonardo Bonucci: Italy captain says next season will be his last

By the end of the 2023/24 campaign, a renowned figure in Italian football will pull the curtain on a splendid career.

Juventus and Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci has revealed his plans to retire at the end of next season.

With only one season left on his Juventus contract, Bonucci has decided 2024 will be the year he finally hangs up his boots.

“When I stop playing next year, it will be the end of a defensive era – a way of defending Italian style,” the 36-year-old said on Juventus’ YouTube channel.

Bonucci is not only a 120-times-capped player, but also a serial winner. With nine Serie A titles under his belt – eight at Juventus and one at Inter Milan – it’s no surprise that he was part of Italy’s victorious Euro 2020 team. He played his 500th game for Juve in last week’s Europa League semi-final against Sevilla.

The Italian formed part of a lethal backline in Turin that consisted of himself, Giorgio Chiellini, and Gianluigi Buffon. The trio helped Juventus win nine straight Serie A titles between 2012 and 2020.

“It’s a source of pride to be up there with the greatest,” Bonucci added.

“I hope lots of future defenders – just as we had with [Franco] Baresi, [Alessandro] Nesta, [Paolo] Maldini, [Fabio] Cannavaro will see us four as idols. It would mean we have achieved a lot and given the game a lot.”

Bonucci will likely feature for Juventus’ trip to Sevilla on Thursday in the Europa League semi-finals. The two clubs enter the second leg in Spain level at 1-1 on aggregate following last week’s first-leg draw.