Edinson Cavani continues to be playing for Boca Juniors at 39, but has been urged to hold up his boots as his own fans turn against him.
The long-lasting forward, who has won 136 caps for Uruguay, has been with Boca since 2023, signing from Valencia.
His time in Argentina has been badly hampered by injuries, although did have a very good 2024 season, scoring 20 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions.
Cavani has not recaptured that form since, partly as a result of fitness issues, and was booed by his own fans on Friday as he made his first start since September.
Boca drew the match 0-0 with Racing Club and the reception for Cavani was not good.
It was so bad that Argentina legend and former Boca Juniors, Real Madrid and River Plate star, Oscar Ruggeri, has implored Cavani to retire as a result of the ‘sin’ of him being abused by his own fans.
‘He has to stop playing,’ Ruggeri said, via Marca. ‘It’s a sin that this star is insulted in that way [booed] with the immense profession he has.
Your football fix
Metro‘s Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy evaluation, transfer talk and his tackle the week’s biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.
Enroll here, it’s an open goal.
‘I don’t know him, we met two or thrice, but it surely hurts me to see him.
‘It’s tough to play in Argentina as of late at 40. For me, he’s not making the choice [to retire] because he wants to maintain attempting to turn things around and leave.’
It will not be the primary time Ruggeri has encouraged Cavani to contemplate his future, saying that he has been too good a player to finish his profession in sad circumstances.
‘I do know he desires to turn the situation around and desires to do well, that he got here to Boca and succeeded. But he has to significantly take into consideration what he can do because his body is struggling,’ the 64-year-old said in January.
‘He plays just a little while, possibly misses a goal, and I see some people laughing, others teasing him, and I feel he’s so great that he has to make the choice himself, not us. He has to make the choice that if his body can’t take it anymore, that is so far as he goes.
‘The profession he had, what more is it going to offer him? It’s saying that is so far as he goes. He will not be in debt. He got here, tried to do it, but physically he couldn’t.
‘But when these items occur, notice that each time he’s about to begin, something else happens. These are signals that football is giving him, that you’ve gotten to make essentially the most difficult decision we football players have, which is to say that is so far as I’m going.’
MORE: The comment that left Casemiro feeling ‘disrespected’ at Manchester United
MORE: Manchester United ‘reach agreement’ over first deal of summer transfer window
MORE: Man Utd flop able to return and fight summer signing for his place