Chapecoense goalkeeper Nivaldo, who was due to play his final game for the club this weekend, has announced his immediate retirement from football in the light of the Medellín plane crash which claimed the lives of a number of his teammates.
The 42-year-old, who has played just shy of 300 times for the club, had planned to see out his career in the final game of the Brazilian domestic season against Atlético Mineiro.
He had been due to travel to Colombia with the rest of the squad, but ended up missing the trip after they decided not to return to Chapeco after the weekend’s game away to Palmeiras.
And the veteran confirmed to GloboEsporte that he has played his last game as a professional.
Vídeo: Nivaldo, goleiro há 10 anos na @ChapecoenseReal , que não embarcou para a Colômbia. pic.twitter.com/FhPTyBQK5C
— Eduardo Matos (@_eduardomatos) November 30, 2016
“I was supposed to go on the trip and ended up staying. Everything has a purpose in life,” Nivaldo said.
“[It is] time to think of the club, along with those who were here, so that we can form a new Chapecoense.”
One of the goalkeepers on the flight, Danilo, died in hospital, while GloboEsporte reports that another, Jakson Follmann, survived but had a leg amputated.
It has since been confirmed that the number of fatalities stands at 71, lower than earlier reported figures of 75 or 76.
