Ciro Immobile has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 36, bringing an end to a 20-year career that made him one of the most prolific strikers of his generation.
The announcement was made via Paris FC's social media channels, and Immobile said: “It’s a difficult moment, but I loved football.” He added that it was not an easy decision, but that the time had come to spend more time with his family, who had followed him everywhere and to whom he owes so much.
A career built on goals
The numbers explain why Immobile will be remembered so strongly. Across 656 matches, he scored 350 goals, with his best-known years coming at Lazio, where he was the linchpin between 2016 and 2024. He also finished as a four-time Serie A top scorer and won two Supercoppa titles.
His path to the top was long and varied. Immobile began at Sorrento in Serie C, moved through the Juventus youth ranks and made his Serie A debut for Juventus, before further spells in Serie B with Grosseto and Pescara.
At Pescara, he earned promotion alongside Verratti and Insigne under Zeman's guidance, a period that helped set him on the road to wider recognition. From there came further moves with Genoa and Torino, before he tested himself in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund and in La Liga for Sevilla.
Italy, Europe and the final chapter
Immobile's career also included success on the international stage. He was part of Roberto Mancini's Italy side that won the European Championship in 2021, adding a major honour to a resume that already carried the weight of a European champion and Golden Boot winner.
After leaving Lazio, he also played for Bologna before his spell in Paris. That final chapter now closes with a retirement announcement that reflects both the scale of his career and the personal reasons behind his decision.
Immobile said it was not an easy choice, but insisted he has many plans for the future. For a striker who has scored across Italy, Germany, Spain, Turkey and France, the next stage begins away from the pitch, even if the football will be hard to forget.
