Legendary Uruguayan defender Diego Godin on Sunday announced his retirement from professional football after a prestigious 20-year-long career.
Godin started his career with a small Uruguayan club C.A. Cerro where he spent three years and served them in 63 matches.
After this, he joined another Uruguayan club Nacional de Futbol where he only spent one season.
His impressive performances for the Uruguayan sides earned him a move to La Liga where he was roped in by Villarreal.
The 37-year-old played for three seasons for the Yellow Submarines, playing a total of 91 matches from 2007 to 2010.
Godin’s life changed after a move to the Spanish capital where he signed with Atletico Madrid for an €8 million fee.
The centre-back spent a whopping nine years at the club and earned the status of a legend.
Godin played a massive part in Atletico’s exceptional success during the last decade when the club won many trophies.
However, his most iconic moment with the club is when he scored an equalizer against Barcelona at Camp Nou on match day 38 in 2014, the goal that ensured Madrid’s first league title in 18 years.
He then went on to win three European Super Cups, two Europa League titles, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup.
Godin will surely be celebrated for years to come by Atletico fans for his services.
After his nine-year stint with the Spanish club, he joined Inter Milan where he could not taste glory.
It must be noted that Godin was part of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) team of the season for three seasons in 2013-14, 2015-16 and 2016-17.
He was also included in the UEFA Team of the Year 2014 for winning the league title and making it to the UCL final which he lost to Real Madrid in an infamous 4-1 defeat in Lisbon.
In the 2015-16 season, he won the La Liga Best Defender award.
The footballer also represented Uruguay in four FIFA World Cups and seven Copa America.