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At the age of 35, Pele bid farewell to Shandong Luneng

author:Xinhua News Agency client

Jinan, January 3 (Xinhua) -- Shandong Luneng Taishan Football Club announced on the 3rd that Italian foreign player Graziano Pele left the team after his contract expired.

At the age of 35, Pele bid farewell to Shandong Luneng

On December 19, 2020, Shandong Luneng Taishan player Pele greeted the fans after the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo

Shandong Luneng Taishan said that under the premise of fully respecting the personal wishes of players, the club and Pele will not renew their contracts after the contract expires. Since joining the team in 2016, Pele has competed in the AFC Champions League, the Chinese Super League and the FA Cup, with a total of 133 games and 63 goals, making him the team's well-deserved top scorer in recent years. The "big man" on the front line is also affectionately called "Italian Gun" by fans.

At the age of 35, Pele bid farewell to Shandong Luneng

On October 31, 2020, Shandong Luneng Taishan player Pele (left) scored a goal during the match. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang

Born in 1985, Pele joined Luneng Taishan as an active International in Italy after competing in the European Championships in 2016. At that time, Luneng was in a very difficult situation in the Chinese Super League. The strong line of fire from the fronts such as Pele and Cisse joined the line of fire to help Luneng finally relegate in a thrilling way. In the just-concluded 2020 FA Cup final, with Pele's header and scoring the goal, Luneng defeated Suning 2-0 to win the FA Cup for the sixth time.

"Precious, thank you, our eternal Italian brothers!" Shandong Luneng Taishan Football Club wrote at the end of the announcement.

Chinese Edit: Tree Text

New Media Editor: Zheng Daojin

Issued: Shen Nan

Copyright belongs to Xinhua News Agency And may not be reproduced without permission

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