Samu Castillejo, the former attacking winger of Milan and Sassuolo, has announced his career at 31. The football star, who finished the 2023-24 season in Malaysia with Johor Darul Ta'zim, published a video on Instagram in which he expressed his gratitude towards the world of football and his family, declaring that he had decided to hang up his boots.
The message, full of emotion, underlines how football was more than a profession for him: "For all my life football has been much more than a profession. It has been my passion, a lifestyle and the dream I have had since I was a child." Castillejo thanks his teammates, coaches, clubs and fans, highlighting that "many of you have a piece of my heart: you have made me grow and improve as a person." His family was cited as a fundamental pillar, “I owe you everything”, he adds, while concluding with a tone of pride: “I say goodbye proud, grateful and happy.”
Castillejo's career spanned 330 professional appearances. In Italy he is remembered above all for the period spent at Milan, where he played from 2018 to 2022, contributing to the conquest of the 2021-22 scudetto under the guidance of Stefano Pioli. With the Rossoneri shirt he made a total of 113 appearances, 10 goals and 15 assists, becoming a key figure in the club's offensive defence. He subsequently had a short spell at Sassuolo in the 2023-24 season, before moving to Malaysia.
His latest chapter in Malaysia with Johor Darul Ta'zim saw Castillejo add further international experience to his CV, before deciding to call it quits in football. With his statement, the player closed a chapter that spanned various nations and levels of competition, leaving a mark above all in Serie A and in his hometown of Huelin.
With Castillejo's departure, Milan and Sassuolo will lose a player with international experience and a sense of leadership on the pitch. For the future, the footballer is focusing on life after football, while keeping the doors open to possible coaching roles or fields related to sport, as suggested by his words of gratitude towards the football world. His decision marks the end of a journey that has seen the personal and professional growth of a player who has always tried to give his best both on and off the pitch.