Athletic Club's evergreen striker Aritz Aduriz has announced his retirement at the age of 39.
The popular centre-forward had hoped to hang up his boots after Athletic's all-Basque Copa del Rey Final against Real Sociedad, which was supposed to take place on April 18.
However, he saw his plans wrecked by the coronavirus shutdown and has decided to walk away from football after doctors recommended he undergo a partial hip replacement to continue playing.
"Let's forget dream endings," Aduriz wrote in an emotional post on his social media channels. "The time to say goodbye has arrived and this journey, unforgettable and wonderful, is over for me."
Aduriz scored 172 goals across three spells at San Mames and leaves as the sixth-highest goalscorer in Athletic Club history.
The San Sebastian-born striker also represented Aurrera de Vitoria, Burgos, Real Valladolid, Mallorca and Valencia during a long career that began in 1999.
In total, he scored 285 goals in 773 appearances at club level, while he also netted twice in 13 appearances for Spain.
