ANKARA

Italian football player Claudio Marchisio retired on Thursday.

"I’d made a promise to the kid who dreamt to become a football player," Marchisio, 33, wrote on Twitter.

"I would have played until I had felt the marvel [of] stepping into the pitch. I wasn’t fulfilling my promise anymore, that’s why I prefer to stop.

"So, thank you dream, you gave me strength, success and joy!"

Marchisio was a pure Juventus product, promoted to the Turin club's senior team from its youth setup in 2005.

He last played for Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg and became a free agent this summer.

In 389 matches for Juventus, Marchisio scored 37 goals and produced 43 assists.

He also helped Juventus win seven Italian top-tier division Serie A titles.

Marchisio was twice a UEFA Champions League runner-up, playing the finals with Juventus in 2015 and 2017.

Separately he scored five goals in 55 appearances for Italy.