Regret! The 23-year-old Lecce core retired due to heart problems! He has been favored by giants such as Milan Dortmund

On August 9, 23-year-old Spanish midfielder Joan Gonzalez officially announced his retirement, with a heartbreaking reason: congenital heart disease. The news was announced by him through social media and was later confirmed by Lecce Club.

This former Barcelona youth training player was diagnosed with heart problems during a pre-season physical examination last season (2024-25 season). Despite a year of treatment and observation, the recent review results still did not meet the standards for professional players to participate, and he was forced to bid farewell to the green field at the golden age.

Gonzalez quickly became the core during his time at Lecce. After two seasons, he played in 64 Serie A games for the team, contributing 2 goals and 4 assists. His height of 1.9 meters and his ability to combine skills and confrontation have attracted the attention of many European giants including AC Milan, Dortmund and Tottenham. Lecce once priced him 10 million euros.

Leice Chairman Damiani confirmed this difficult decision: the review results in a year later have not changed, and we regret to confirm that he can no longer play professional football. But the medical team, especially cardiologist Dr. Tang Duo, did save his life.

In the farewell letter, Gonzalez recalled the little things of his football career affectionately: "I remember the feeling of the wet grass, the shouts of the stands, the sound of the ball hitting the boots... There are also jokes in the locker room, suggestions from veterans, hugs after scoring, and the eyes of his family in the stands. Those days that were once accustomed to, now I know how precious they are."

Although the player's career ended early, Gonzalez's life has not stopped. He is currently pursuing a degree in economics and plans to move towards coaching in the future. Damiani said very well: "He faced it all with admirable maturity. If he couldn't be a great player, he would definitely become an outstanding talent, both on the sidelines and in the business world."