The former Liverpool midfielder, Lucas Leiva, has announced his retirement from football at the age of 36 due to a heart condition. The Brazil international played nearly 600 games in his 17-year club career. Lucas joined Liverpool in 2007, staying at Anfield for 10 years before moving to Serie A in 2017, where he played for five seasons with Lazio. Lucas returned last summer to his boyhood club, Grêmio, making 17 appearances and scoring three goals for the Brazilian side before being sidelined in December, when he was diagnosed with the heart issue after routine tests. On Friday, Lucas announced that the issue has brought a premature end to his career. “I would like to thank Grêmio for all the support in these three months,” he told a news conference. “Today I am announcing my retirement. It’s been a difficult period.” “I’m ending where I would like, not the way I would like. But I’m sure a new cycle will begin. I had a lot of hope that [the issue] could be reversed, but it was not the case. My health comes first.” In a social media post, Lucas added: “The day has come to say goodbye to the field. I confess that it came from greater forces, but I look back and can only be thankful for the career I built. In 2007 I transferred to the giant [club’] Liverpool, which was part of my life for 10 years. “It is with great pride that I can say that today Liverpool is my home,” Lucas continued. “I’m proud to be an English citizen and along with my family, I’m [a] Scouser!” In a statement posted on Twitter, Liverpool said: We’re all with you, @LucasLeiva87. Congratulations on a brilliant career and we wish you the very best in your next chapter.” Signed from Grêmio for £6m in 2007, Lucas became a popular member of the Liverpool team as a defensive midfielder, earning a League Cup winner’s medal in 2012 and helping the club reach the 2016 Europa League final. The Brazilian, who won the South American under-20 championship in 2007, also earned 24 international caps and won the Coppa Italia with Lazio in 2019.