A free agent following his exit from AS Roma in the summer, Davide Santon, who was contracted to Newcastle United for four years, is retiring at the age of 31.
That’s what the player told TuttoMercatoWeb on Friday, as injuries over the years have taken their toll and he is unable to continue playing at the best of his abilities.
Explaining he is ‘forced to stop playing’ the game he loves, because his body ‘with so many injuries in the past, can’t take it anymore’.
The former Newcastle defender made it clear it wasn’t something he wanted to do, but more something he had to do, as continuing to play ‘would be to risk having prostheses’ down the line.
He said: “I have my left knee where I didn’t have an operation, but it went. It prevents me from many things. And then there’s the famous right knee, operated on three times. Cartilage, removed all the external meniscus, but as soon as I do minimum exertion, it swells and no longer bends.”
Instead of having to ‘play with fear’, Santon decided enough was enough and called it a day on his career, but he will have fond memories of his time as a footballer, especially his first spell at Inter, before he moved to Newcastle, where they ‘won everything’.
As for his time with the Magpies, he said: “I went there. I almost didn’t want to, but once I was there, I didn’t want to return. Then the offer from Inter arrived, and I came back, but I had a great time in England. The environment around you, to play, is the best ever.
“Every time I go to England, when I can, I go to the stadium to see it. The Toon Army is fantastic, when we played there, there was an extraordinary serenity. When we were playing at home: lunch was optional. The meeting at the stadium was at 1.15pm for the match at 3pm. It was an environment that gave me peace of mind and it was the period where I was physically better.”
During his time at Newcastle, the defender made 94 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and assisting another five.
