Atalanta midfielder Cristian Raimondi has announced he’ll retire at the end of the season and join Gian Piero Gasperini’s coaching staff.
He just turned 36 last week and his contract is due to expire on June 30.
“My kids are Atalanta fans, as is right for those from Bergamo,” he told the official club website.
Atalanta midfielder Cristian Raimondi has announced he’ll retire at the end of the season and join Gian Piero Gasperini’s coaching staff.
He just turned 36 last week and his contract is due to expire on June 30.
“My kids are Atalanta fans, as is right for those from Bergamo,” he told the official club website.
“This season will be remembered in a positive fashion no matter what happens. It’s my last as a player and it’s fantastic that the team has the record of points in Serie A, making it the best campaign in the history of Atalanta.
“If we get into Europe, then it’ll be a triumph. When I arrived, my dream was to take Atalanta back into Serie A, so to leave when taking them to Europe is remarkable.
“I made my dream come true, it’s never easy to say enough when you wear the shirt of your hometown club, the side you have always supported, but I think it’s right to leave space to the younger players.
“It is also thanks to the proposal made by the club to enter the technical staff, which I always wanted to do, that I will try to bring my experience and knowledge of the Atalanta world and Bergamo to the new arrivals.
“On the one hand it’s disappointing to retire as a player, but I want to do something important for this club and make Atalanta even more ambitious in future. I am proud to be a part of it. I take off the Atalanta shirt and put on the jacket.”
Raimondi first joined the Bergamo club in August 2010 and has not moved on since, having previously featured for Albinoleffe, Pro Vercelli, Palermo, Arezzo, Vicenza and Livorno.
This season, Raimondi managed only eight appearances between Serie A and the Coppa Italia, scoring one goal.