North Macedonian footballer Goran Pandev, his country’s all-time top goalscorer, announced his retirement on Thursday at 39, after more than two decades of his career.
“Looking back, it seems unreal … It was an amazing adventure“Pandev wrote on Instagram. “A beautiful chapter ends … I carry with me an incredible baggage of emotions … I’m glad that I shared them together (with you)“he continued.
Arriving at Inter Milan at just 18 years of age, Pandev spent most of his club football career in Italy, where he wore the colors of Lazio, Naples, Galatasaray and Genoa in particular, before his last appearance in Parma last season, with 11 Serie B appearances.
The elegant left-handed competitor took part in the historic five-time Nerazzurri in 2010, when the team won Serie A, Coppa Italia, the Champions League, Italian Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
Without a club since the end of last season, Pandev is considered a hero in his homeland in North Macedonia where he is the all-time top player and all-time top scorer with 38 goals in 122 appearances for the club.
The captain led North Macedonia to Euro last summer, Red Lynx’s first appearance on the European stage after scoring the winning goal in the play-offs against Georgia.
