Cannavaro to retire and join brother Fabio in China

Sassuolo’s defender from Italy Paolo Cannavaro celebrates after scoring during the italian Serie A football match Sassulo vs Roma at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emlia on October 26, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE

Cannavaro announced on Thursday that Sassuolo’s Serie A match at Roma will be his last.

“A new year, a new life … it will be an odd feeling. I won’t miss the field because it’s a decision I’ve made, but I will miss being around my teammates,” he said.

Cannavaro progressed through the youth team at Napoli and in 1999 joined his older brother Fabio at Parma, where he spent six years. The defender then spent a season at Hellas Verona before rejoining Napoli and making more than 200 appearances in eight years at his hometown club.

Cannavaro moved to Sassuolo in 2014.

Fabio Cannavaro, who won the World Cup with Italy as a player in 2006, was announced as Guangzhou Evergrande coach last month.

Paolo Cannavaro, the younger brother at 36, says his job “will be that of assisting Fabio 360 degrees as technical collaborator. I can coach the reserves, those who play a bit less during the season.”

He adds: “Chinese will be difficult to learn, we’ll settle for English.”