“Dear football, I bid you farewell”: Mattia Caldara annnounces retirement

The former Atalanta and Milan defender has announced his retirement at just 31 years of age, bringing to an end a career marred by numerous injuries.

Mattia Caldara has announced his retirement from football at just 31 years of age.

The decision taken by the former Atalanta and Milan defender brings to an end a career marked by injuries that prevented him from consistently performing at what could have been the highest level.

Caldara announced his retirement in a long open letter published on Gianluca Di Marzio's official website.

"DEAR FOOTBALL, I SAY GOODBYE"

"Dear football, I say goodbye. I have decided to quit."

This is how Mattia Caldara began the long letter in which he announced his decision to hang up his boots.

A decision that, as he himself admitted, was not easy and that he began to make in July, after a specialist told him: "Mattia, you no longer have any cartilage in your ankle. If you continue, in a few years we will have to put in a prosthesis".

Caldara looked back on some moments in his career, recalling even the difficult ones, linked to the many injuries that have affected it so much.

"They have been difficult months. In fact, years. And I'm not just talking about this decision, but much more. I'm talking about my life since I broke my knee. I still remember the first step after the tackle: I felt the ground give way under my foot. I collapsed. First physically, then mentally. I was at the peak of my career, then in a matter of seconds everything changed. With time, I got better, but I was never well again. Never again. I was never able to go back to being that Caldara. I tried, but it was no longer possible. This pursuit of an illusion wore me down.

"I AM GRATEFUL TO FOOTBALL"

"I am grateful to football. It has been my travelling companion for 25 years. I remember my first training session. My grandfather took me there. I arrived and found myself in front of this huge pitch full of children. I didn't know then that it would become my home. A home that made me the person I am today. My mind goes back to the games I played with my friends at the parish youth club, the tournaments with Atalanta, the motorbike trips with my dad and the pasta my mum used to make before I went to play. Everything was always about football. Even though I almost didn't become a footballer. I was 17 years old and had injured my patellar tendon. I didn't have a contract yet and feared that my dream would vanish. Things turned out differently.

ONE OF THE BEST ITALIAN DEFENDERS

A product of Atalanta's extraordinary youth academy, he exploded onto the scene between 2016 and 2018 when, after two excellent seasons in Serie A, marked by ten goals, he earned a move to Milan.

The Rossoneri club invested around £30 million in a player exchange with Bonucci to sign him from Juventus.

Incredibly, due to injuries, Caldara only managed to play three games in total in the Rossoneri shirt before his definitive departure in June 2024.

Caldara, who during his time with Milan had loan spells at Atalanta, Venezia and Spezia, also played twice for the senior national team in 2018.

THE LAST SEASON AT MODENA

The last stage of Caldara's career coincided with an experience at Modena.

After his contract with Milan expired, he decided to start over in Serie B, where he made 26 appearances and scored one goal.

At the end of last season, when his contract expired, he decided to leave what would be his last club.

"Bye football, I'm ready to say goodbye. I've done it. I feel lighter. I feel free to be myself, finally. I'm putting this pen down on the table. I can get up from this chair and start walking. The curtain falls. Mattia is now on the pitch."