Vincenzo Montella, the striker who helped AS Roma to the scudetto on 2001, is hanging up his boots, the Roman club said Thursday.
Montella, 35, a nippy little centre-foward known as The Little Aeroplane because of his wheeling goal celebrations, scored 94 times for Roma between 1999 and 2006, making him the fifth-highest scorer in the club's history.
He joined Roma from Sampdoria in 1999 and got his last start for the Giallorossi in December 2006, before loans to Fulham and Samp in 2007-2008.
He returned to the Roma squad last season but only played a few games as a substitute.
Montella was the last member of Roma's scudetto-winning side alongside iconic skipper Francesco Totti.
He is now expected to find a job coaching one of the club's youth teams.
''The Little Aeroplane of Roma's 2001 scudetto has decided to retire and not join the team which starts its (pre-season) training today,'' Roma said.
Montella was one of Serie A's top strikers in the early 2000s and turned out for Italy at Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.
He won 20 caps and scored three goals.
