Former Portuguese international Pizzi assured today that he has ended his professional career “with no bitter feelings” toward the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), which dedicated an official farewell ceremony to him at Cidade do Futebol.
The 36-year-old footballer, who retired from the pitch last May 16 playing for Estoril Praia in a match against Benfica on the final matchday of the Primeira Liga, regretted not having had the opportunity to participate in the final stage of a European Championship or World Cup for Portugal but preferred to highlight the “very happy career” he led both for the national team, where he accumulated three goals in 17 caps, and for the clubs he represented.
“I think all players who are part of the national team space want the big tournaments, whether it is the European Championship or the World Cup. I did not have the opportunity to be present, but I think there are no bitter feelings regarding that, because this was, without a doubt, a very happy career, whether in clubs or in the national team,” he noted.
Pizzi was honored by the president of the FPF, Pedro Proença, at Arena Portugal, located in Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras, before around one hundred guests among whom were former national team companions like Ricardo Pereira, who recently left England’s Leicester, Rui Patrício, and Adrien Silva, both already retired.
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Also present was former Benfica teammate João Félix, who is currently integrated into the national team’s work and attended the ceremony before participating in a training session at Cidade do Futebol, alongside Luís Filipe Vieira, the former president of Benfica, the club Pizzi represented for seven and a half seasons.
The former attacking midfielder recalled some high points of his journey such as winning the Europa League with Atlético de Madrid and the Nations League with Portugal, the two international titles he achieved as a professional.
“I had titles that marked me deeply as a player, which were winning the Europa League and then, of course, with the national team [the Nations League]. I think it is one of the highest points for a player to represent the national team and win a title, the first of national competitions in Portugal, and I think that was a special point for me,” he recalled.
Pizzi ended his career in May, justifying the decision at the time due to the “intense hip pain” that has accompanied him for six years and prevented him from performing at the level he believed was necessary.
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Serving Estoril Praia last season, Pizzi participated in 24 matches for the “Canaries” and scored one goal. The midfielder rose to prominence at Benfica, which he represented for seven and a half seasons between 2014 and 2022, playing a total of 360 official matches.
Formed at Bragança, Luís Fernandes began his senior journey at his hometown club and later passed through Ribeirão, Sporting da Covilhã, Paços de Ferreira, and Sporting de Braga, before heading to Spain, where he represented the colors of Atlético de Madrid (winning a Europa League), Deportivo da Corunha, and Espanyol, the latter already on loan from Benfica, which signed him in 2013 from the “Colchoneros.”
For Benfica, the club the Portuguese international represented the most, he played 360 official games and won four national championships (2014/15 to 2016/17 and 2018/19), three Super Cups (2016, 2017, and 2019), two League Cups (2014/15 and 2015/16), and one Portuguese Cup (2016/2017).
After leaving the “Eagles” in 2022, Pizzi also represented the Turkish side Basaksehir, Al Wahda (United Arab Emirates), Sporting de Braga again, with whom he won a League Cup in 2023/24, APOEL (Cyprus), and, most recently, Estoril Praia.
