OFFICIAL: De Rossi leaves Boca and retires

Daniele De Rossi has decided to leave Boca Juniors and retire from professional football.

Boca snapped up De Rossi on a free transfer in July after the expiration of his contract with Roma, whose first team he played for across 18 seasons.

The 36-year-old midfielder made a goalscoring debut for the Buenos Aires giants in a Copa Argentina victory over Almagro but only made six more appearances.

However, De Rossi has cancelled his contract with Boca and will return to Italy to be closer to his family.

De Rossi made 616 appearances for Roma, a tally only bettered by club legend Francesco Totti, and 117 for Italy, winning the World Cup in 2006.