Ukra declares retirement at the age of 36
“I am extremely proud of all that I have accomplished as a player at every club I have been. This (my career) is coming to an end. It is certain that these will be my last games. I feel very happy with the path I have taken and the recognition I have received, not only at Rio Ave, but nationally. It’s an honor that many people identify with Ukra the player and person,” stated the forward.
Ukra, who received the Career Award at Rio Ave’s 85th-anniversary gala, assured that “there will be no anxiety for the last two matches of the championship (against Portimonense and Benfica)” and promised to “enjoy every moment until the end.”
“I look at my career and say that it is successful. Not because of the titles won, but because at every club I have been, I have always achieved the proposed goals. Therefore, I can only be happy and proud,” he shared.
Future kept a secret
Regarding the future, Ukra revealed that it “will involve television,” but that he will continue to be connected to football, disclosing an invitation to be an ambassador for the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP).
“I won’t be on the pitch, but I will be close by to follow what was a significant part of my life,” he added.
The player joked saying that it will be “harder for the locker room to be far from Ukra, than Ukra being far from the locker room,” but assured that “new challenges will appear.”
“This joy and enthusiasm I have will not end with my career as a professional footballer. They will only be transferred to another side. But I will be a friend to all who have been part of this journey,” he concluded.
Ukra will end his footballer career at the age of 36, after stints at Famalicão, the club where he developed, FC Porto, Padroense, Varzim, Olhanense, Sporting Braga, CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), Al Fateh (Saudi Arabia), Santa Clara, and Rio Ave.
The winger made his Primeira Liga debut with Olhanense in the 2009/10 season, while on loan from FC Porto. In the following season, 2010/11, he joined the main squad of the ‘blue and whites’, playing eight games before moving to Sporting Braga halfway through that season.
