Emiliano Insua, the 34-year-old Argentine left-back, announced on Tuesday live on television that he will retire from football at the end of the current season.

The revelation of the former Sporting player took the entire “EquipoF” panel on ESPN Argentina by surprise. “I came here to announce that I will retire at the end of the season. Thank you for giving me the space to say that. I have already told you little by little within the club and you already know more or less. This is a decision.” I have been thinking about it for some time, and the truth is that I have analyzed it, with my family and my psychiatrist, who have been a great support to me, and I feel relieved. Now I want to enjoy it. I’m glad I made my decision and I will do my best until the end of the year. If I can’t give 100% of myself, I will do it rather than not continue,” shared the defender who currently plays for Racing Club.

When asked about the reason for the decision, Insua admitted that he lost a lot during his time in Europe, which he did not realize until he returned to Argentina in 2021, to play with Aldovici. “The truth is that I have been dedicated to football all my life. I always wanted to become a professional footballer and I was lucky enough to do so at a very young age. At 18 I was already at Liverpool.” “A big part of my career was working in Europe. I was away for 16 years, and it took a lot out of my life. When I returned to Argentina, three years ago, I felt that up until then I had missed things in my life,” he said. “You give up a lot if you live the life of a footballer, especially when we talk about the elite.”

Emiliano Insua arrived at Sporting in 2011/12, after a season-long loan from Liverpool to Turkish club Galatasaray. As for the Lions, the Argentina international full-back played 66 matches, scoring 6 goals and making 7 assists, without winning any official title.