JAVIER PASTORE recently hinted at retiring from professional football due to being in huge amounts of pain.
The Argentine’s contract with Qatar FC expired in June 2023 and he reckons it would take nothing short of a miracle for him to make a comeback.
The attacking-midfielder played alongside Lionel Messi in his national team from 2010-2017, but admits he has now reached a limit physically and is ‘mentally not there anymore’.
In an interview with Dimanche Soir Football, the attacking midfielder said: “I feel pain every day, not just when I play football, but also in normal life.
“This summer I will have to see how I feel, if I can continue to play or not.
“I will soon make a decision.
“For now, I am on stand-by.
“Returning to the field would be a miracle, I’m already mentally not there anymore.”
The 34-year-old has hip-surgery in the diary for June or July, in the hope of improving his quality of life – but he’s also running the risk of never returning to the game.
He is fully aware that a return to match fitness is unlikely, but he still harbours a dash of hope, saying: “You can never rule anything out.”
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Pastore, known to many as El Flaco, has more than proven himself over the years, a career which took off in 2009 when he was picked up by Palermo from Huracan.
In just two seasons at the Sicilian team, he registered 16 goals and as many assists, catching the eye of all the major Serie A clubs.
€42million later, he ended up at Paris Saint-German and hit the big time with 45 goals and 59 assists in his 267 appearances.
His career impresses, but many think he fell short of his full potential because of the countless injury setbacks that plagued him.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
