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Hip replacement forces Bilbao hero Aduriz into retirement
Iconic Athletic Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz announced on Wednesday that he has retired from professional football after revealing he needs a hip replacement.
Aduriz, 39, will be forever remembered in Bilbao for four glorious goals he banged past Barcelona while winning the 2015-2016 Supercup, and even last season he scored the goal that saw the Basques beat the Catalan giants in la Liga.
"This is how the road ends for me – unforgettable and marvellous, from beginning to end," Aduriz said of his many seasons at Bilbao.
"The doctors told me to go see the surgeon, sooner rather than later, to get a prosthetic to replace my hip and to try and go about my everyday life, as normally as possible. Unfortunately, my body has said 'enough'."
— Aritz Aduriz (@AritzAduriz11) May 20, 2020
Aduriz topped the La Liga scoring charts twice, first with 18 goals in the 2014-15 season and then with 20 the following campaign.
He was also twice Europa League top scorer, in 2015-16 with 10 goals and with eight – joint with Lazio's Ciro Immobile – two seasons later.
After starting out at Bilbao in 2002 he moved on for spells at Burgos, Valladolid, Mallorca and Valencia before a return to Athletic in 2012.
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