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One of the worst things in football is when a a great player doesn’t know when to call it quits. It can be quite painful to see once great starts stumble through the remainder of their careers as if being punished. So here's a list of 5 great players that need to retire and prevent tarnishing of their glorious reputations.
#1 Francesco Totti
The eighth king of Rome and perhaps the most beloved, Francesco Totti is a living legend. ‘The king of Rome is not dead' can often be heard from the terraces of Stadio Olimpico, alluring to the presence of the ethereal Totti, such is the fervor surrounding the man.
Totti, even with his fledgling steps, had the fans enamored with him. At the tender age of 12, he rejected a contract with Lazio simply because it was not the team he supported. The attitude was not commensurate with that of a twelve year old boy, but he stood firm in his determination. He supported Roma and would only play for them. 26 years later, he now stands as the greatest player to have ever graced the shirt.
Totti has seen it all, he's been through the highest highs and the lowest lows. Through the years he's had to adapt and change positions to fit into changing tactics and philosophies, battle the vicissitudes of time to stay fit and competent and defer interest from bigger and better clubs.
He is now 38 years old. Still a first choice and still a key member of the team, but one can't help but feel that the magic will soon dwindle. He might still have one season in him, but beyond that it gets harder to imagine Totti being Totti. A lesser version of him cannot happen. His legacy cannot be tainted.
This is the strongest Roma line-up in recent memory and it stands a decent chance of winning the scudetto and making a good run in the champions league. This is the perfect platform for Totti to retire on. As a winner. As the king of Rome.
#2 Xavi
Xavi is a footballing demi-god. He has won everything there is to win and has come to represent one of the most glorious epochs in club football. A true legend of the modern game.
Earlier in the summer, there were strong rumors linking him with a move to the MLS. Among the surfeit of rumors, not all were false. Xavi, of his own accord, had decided time on his career. He was done. A cruel twist of fate prevented him from leaving. Barcelona were in a transition and a new manager had come in. Unable to turn his back on the club, he decided to prolong his stay, despite a diminished role, to ensure some semblance of stability remained.
Luis Enrique's regime has been off to a good start. The team is performing well and the youngsters are slowly finding their feet. Xavi has started less than half of their games. It was expected but somehow, it feels unjust. A player like him does not deserve to fade out. It is time to walk out into the sunset. He has done enough.
#3 Iker Casillas
Like Xavi, Casillas has achieved everything there is to in football. There is nothing more he can achieve except ignominy, which he seems to have drawn with his performances of late. The once indomitable Casillas has become prone to high profile errors.
Casillas is a player whose legend does not deserve to be desecrated by the obscurity of the bench. And judging by the last few years, the bench is where he's headed. Casillas, as a 21 year old, was hailed as one of the best keepers in the world. The early strides in his career marked him out as special.
He went on to captain Real Madrid and Spain all the while breaking records and being awesome, but his progress has somehow come to a halt. In fact, he seems to be on the decline. Despite not being very old by a keeper's standards(33), he has lost his way and seems very ordinary. His rivals for the number 1 shirt, De Gea and Keylor Navas, for country and club, both seem better.
The keeper's position is a position which deeply polarizes opinion. You are either very good or very bad, there is no middle ground. If Casillas's decent into sub-par performances continues, he risks becoming a scapegoat for his team's failures, just as he did with Spain at the world cup.
He had great talent, he expended it for all the trophies in football. There is no reason for him to continue.
#4 Pirlo
'No Pirlo, No party' is a famous line used by Pirlo fans and with good reason. Pirlo has been one of the most aesthetically pleasing players to grace the pitch in the last 20 years. His grace and poise on the ball are like the delicate movements of a ballerina, carefully engineered and yet recklessly breathtaking. He has been a vital cog in all the teams he's been a part of but as with all good things, this too has to end. The party is over. It's time to pack up.
The debate about when Pirlo should retire has been ongoing for some years now. He has discredited his critics time and again, but might not be able to this time. He was first declared finished by Allegri, then AC Milan manager, when he allowed him to join rivals Juventus on a free. Pirlo responded by winning the title. The naysayers then said he's no longer of use to the national team. He answered by leading the Azzurri to the Euro finals in 2012. And then the din of the critics faded into a whisper.
Pirlo has managed to play at a respectable level, but his influence on the team, an overbearing one by Pirlo standards, is on a rapid wane. He can't control games like he used to. Players around him are driven into the ground to make up for his stationary presence. He's become an extra baggage. Still capable of the odd glimmer of fantastic but not the player he used to be.
#5 Antonio Di Natale
Di Natale has put off retirement more times than he's scored goals, which is a lot since he scores a stupendous amount of goals.
The Udinese captain had decided to retire at the end of last season but changed his mind as he couldn't allow them the uncertainty of a new manager and a new captain. This decision would haunt most players his age (37), but he seems to be thriving. 5 goals in 8 matches, and the theory that he gets better with age is again proving right.
Di Natale has enjoyed the best years of his career after turning 30, and despite better performances every successive season, you get the feeling that it's time to move on. Udinese need to prepare for life after him and with his current age and performances, he's just proving a stumbling block for preparing for the future.
His current contract expires in 2015, at the end of the season, but don't rule him out from renewing it if the opportunity comes up. He's a shrewd old man and he doesn't know when to stop.
