After completing 10 years at Montpellier, Ligue 1 veteran Vitorino Hilton announced his retirement on Thursday. He is 43. Hilton won France’s top-flight two times in his 24-year career, first with Marseille in 2010 and then with Montpellier in 2012.
Hilton played 512 games in Ligue 1, a record for a foreign player in the competition.
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The Brazilian centre back said that he is heartbroken to know that he will no longer go on the field as a player.
“It has been 24 years of great dedication and love for this sport which has given us a lot of good things. It still breaks my heart to know I will no longer go on a field as a professional player,” he said on Instagram.
Vitorino Hilton scored 24 goals in 598 appearances during his club career. The 43-year-old thanked Montpellier. He spent the last decade at the Occitanie-based clubs. His stint at Montpellier included brief spells at Lens, Servette, Basta, Parana and his first club Chapecoense.
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“This club gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing until I was 40, where I went beyond what I dreamed of,” he said.
His current club Montpellier tweeted saying, “Vitorino Hilton, final clap for an exceptional player.”
Montpellier said in June they had offered Hilton a position at the club, AFP reports.
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Hilton is the oldest player to feature in the league since Troyes’ Roger Courtois in June 1956, statistical organisation Opta revealed as per AFP reports.
