Juventus’ veteran central defender Leonardo Bonucci has confirmed he will retire from all forms of the game when his contract at the Allianz Stadium expires in 2024.
The 36-year-old has won eight Serie A titles in two separate spells at Juventus and made his 500th appearance in all competitions for the club in last Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Sevilla in the Europa League semi-final first leg. The news of Bonucci’s retirement was confirmed by reputable Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter this morning.
Leonardo Bonucci has revealed that he will retire at the end of the next season, in June 2024. 🚨⚪️⚫️ #Juventus
"When I will retire in a year, an era of the defense will be over. I'm really proud of what I did at Juventus", Bonucci confirms. pic.twitter.com/UZBtBgS6Uc
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 17, 2023
Italian captain to retire in 2024
Bonucci is currently still the captain of the Italian national side that won the European Championships played out in 2021 after the COVID pandemic delayed the tournament by 12 months, scoring in the final as the Azzurri eventually beat England in a penalty shootout.
However, Italy then failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup the following year, and are currently going through a period of transition under former Man City manager Roberto Mancini.