Argentinian Football Great Calls for Cavani's Retirement
Edinson Cavani, the veteran Uruguayan striker, has been advised to hang up his boots by Argentinian football legend Oscar Ruggeri. This recommendation comes amid Cavani's ongoing struggles at Boca Juniors, where his performance has notably declined in recent seasons.
Cavani's Challenging Season at Boca Juniors
The 39-year-old forward, who joined Boca Juniors in August 2023, has faced significant difficulties on the pitch. In a recent match against Racing Club, which ended in a 0-0 draw, Cavani was booed by fans during his first start since September. Subsequently, he was excluded from the squad for Boca's cup clash against Gimnasia Chivilcoy on Monday, highlighting his diminishing role within the team.
Cavani's goal-scoring record has sharply decreased over time. During the 2025 season, he managed only five goals, which is just a quarter of his tally from the previous year. In 2026, his participation has been limited to just two games due to an injury lay-off, further compounding his challenges.
Ruggeri's Emphatic Plea for Retirement
Oscar Ruggeri, who won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina and also secured a league title with Boca Juniors, has been vocal about Cavani's situation. He expressed that it is painful to witness the striker's current condition and believes retirement is the best course of action.
'He has to stop playing,' Ruggeri stated via Marca. 'It's a sin that this star is insulted in that way with the immense career he has. I don't know him, we met two or three times, but it hurts me to see him. It's tough to play in Argentina these days at 40. For me, he's not making the decision because he wants to keep trying to turn things around and leave.'
Persistent Injury Struggles and Career Reflections
Cavani's late-career has been marred by constant injury issues. Since February 2023, according to Transfermarkt records, he has accumulated 13 injuries, resulting in him missing 36 games—nearly equivalent to a full season. His most recent setback involved pain in his lower back, though he did make a return off the bench against Platens earlier this month.
In a surprising move, Cavani announced his retirement from football in December, concluding a 20-year career during which he scored 458 goals for both club and country. However, he has not adhered to this decision in the new year, indicating a continued desire to compete despite his age and physical limitations.
Throughout his illustrious career, Cavani has won 24 trophies, with the majority achieved during his prolific stint at Paris Saint-Germain. His former PSG teammate, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, played until the age of 41, which may inspire Cavani to persist. Nonetheless, Ruggeri has repeatedly urged him to reconsider.
Ruggeri's Ongoing Advocacy for Retirement
Ruggeri has emphasized this point on multiple occasions. In January, he remarked: 'I know he wants to turn the situation around and wants to do well, that he came to Boca and succeeded. But he has to seriously think about what he can do because his body is struggling. He plays a little while, maybe misses a goal, and I see some people laughing, others teasing him, and I think he is so great that he has to make the decision himself, not us. He has to make the decision that if his body can't take it anymore, this is as far as he goes.'
He added: 'The career he had, what more is it going to give him? It's saying this is as far as he goes. He is not in debt. He came, tried to do it, but physically he couldn't. But when these things happen, notice that every time he's about to start, something else happens. These are signals that football is giving him, that you have to make the most difficult decision we football players have, which is to say this is as far as I go.'
As Cavani, now 39, continues to push forward in his career, the debate over his retirement remains a poignant topic in the football world, with Ruggeri's words underscoring the physical and emotional toll of aging in professional sports.
