Juventus legend Claudio Marchisio announces retirement

Another legendary Juventus career has officially been brought to an end…

After a disappointing year in Russia, Claudio Marchisio has decided to follow long-time teammate Andrea Barzagli into retirement. He made the announcement in a press conference at Allianz Stadium on Thursday that served as a sad reminder that it won’t be long before all of our favorite Juve legends will just be memories of the past.

Alongside Giorgio Chiellini, Gianluigi Buffon, and Alessandro Del Piero, Claudio Marchisio was a key piece of Juve’s recovery from Calciopoli. The Torino native stuck with the team during their time in Serie B, and even made his first 25 appearances with the team in Italy’s second tier.

That was just the start of him doing whatever Juve needed him to. In the season that returned Juve to the top of Italy, Marchisio scored 9 goals, only 1 off the team lead as he helped deliver the team’s first Scudetto after their scandal.

He also helped lead them as close to the pinnacle of European competition as they have been in over 2 decades. He was named to the 2014-15 Champions League Team of the Season as recognition for the huge part he played in Juve’s run to the final that season. In that season, it wasn’t his scoring that set him apart, but instead his play-making ability and his defensive contributions that allowed him to make a difference for Juve.

That season was the best example of his versatility and just how much he was willing to play whatever part Juve needed him play to lead them to success.

Unfortunately, Marchisio’s Juventus career came to an unceremonious end because Massimiliano Allegri didn’t think Marchisio was still an asset to Juve, keeping Sami Khedira instead (yeah, it didn’t make sense to me either). He finished his time at Juventus with 37 goals, 43 assists, and, most importantly, 7 Scudetti. The year he spent with Zenit St. Petersburg ended up being a disappointment as he only ended up making 14 appearances over the course of that season.