Marco Di Vaio Announces Retirement

Marco Di Vaio announced his retirement earlier this morning in a statement for the end of the season, ending a 22-year professional career.

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Di Vaio was the Montreal Impact’s first designated player and played his role to perfection. We was the first star the team brought in and played like it. He has been the team’s top goal scorer and go-to guy since be joined the Impact.

"“Everything we asked of Marco has been delivered,” said Impact president Joey Saputo in a statement. “He accepted all the responsibilities that came with being a Designated Player. He was the first for this club and was the right choice. His quality and experience helped the team progress on the field, but he also helped the club with his wealth of knowledge off of it. He gained respect around the league and from its players, and it’s very well deserved. We thank him for everything he’s done for the club and the city.”“After a 20-year career, I am pleased to announce that I will be retiring in Montreal as a member of the Impact,” said Marco Di Vaio. “I am very proud of what I’ve accomplished over two decades as a pro. It was a dream of mine to play at the highest level and I will look to make the best of my final month as a player.”"

Before coming to the Impact, Di Vaio was one of the best Italian scorers in history, scoring 142 goals in 342 games in Serie A.

In three seasons with the Impact, Di Vaio scored 31 goals – seven game winners – and added nine assists in 72 regular season games played for a total of 5,636 minutes, including 62 starts. He ends his career as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer in MLS, as well as the club leader in game winning goals, shots and shots on goal.

In 2013, he was a finalist for the MLS Most Valuable Player Award, named to the MLS Best XI and was the Impact’s Most Valuable Player, after leading the team and finishing third in the league in scoring with 20 goals in 33 games played. He was just the 11th player in league history to reach the 20-goal plateau in a season. He led the team to its first ever playoff appearance in MLS and was voted a starter for the MLS All-Star Game.

Di Vaio will finish the MLS season for the Impact, which includes two more home games – October 11 and October 25 at Stade Saputo. Both games are at 4 p.m.