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The legend of Italian football club "Udinese," 36-year-old forward Antonio di Natale, played his last professional football career match on Saturday. The 170 cm tall forward did not let anyone doubt his talent even in the last game - he scored all three team goals and saved them from defeat.
The forward, who spent ten years in the "Udinese" team, scored goals on Saturday in the 26th, 32nd, and 88th minutes, allowing the team to secure a 3-3 draw against Genoa's "Sampdoria" at home.
The 170 cm tall forward, who played his entire career only in Italian clubs, scored 242 goals in over 550 matches.
At the beginning of his professional career, spending eight years (1996-2004) in the "Empoli" team, A. di Natale moved to "Udinese," where he played until this year.
In 2010 and 2011, A. di Natale became the top scorer in the "Serie A" championship, but never won the "Scudetto." For the last five years in a row, the player scored 20 or more goals in the Italian championship.
The greatest love of the fans of his team was earned when he refused to move to the "Juventus" team. In 2010, Toto openly refused to move to the "Juventus" club - an unprecedented case in Italy. The reason - his family is well-established in Udine, and neither he nor A. di Natale think they could feel better anywhere else.
His greatest achievement is the silver medal at the 2012 European Championship with the Italian national team, where he played 42 matches and scored 11 goals.
Unquestionably, the fans of "Udinese" team love their leader not only for his goals and loyalty to the club. Have you ever heard about Mario Balotelli and his antics? Or the young "Milan" leader Stephan El Shaarawy? In the football world, there are many great players who stand out not only for their game but also for their silly or funny behaviors, new hairstyles.
Who has never heard the story of Toto and his team mate Piermario Morosini's disabled sister who passed away? Piermario's mother died when the football player was only 15, soon after his father died, and later his brother committed suicide.
Only Piermario and his disabled sister remained. However, in 2012, tragedy struck the footballer and the "Udinese" team during a match against "Livorno" club, to which P. Morosini was loaned to, P. Morosini suffered a heart attack and passed away. A. di Natale promised to take care of his team mate's disabled sister as long as needed - even until the end of her life.
If "Barcelona" is "More than a club" ("Barcelona" team motto "Mes que un Club"), then A. di Natale is more than just a footballer.
