André Monteiro, better known as Ukra, announced this Wednesday that he will retire from the field at the end of the season, at the age of 36. There are only two games left for Rio Ave, against Portimonense and Benfica.
The striker received the Career Award on Wednesday, at Rio Ave’s 85th anniversary gala. He took advantage of the celebration of the club that hosts him to ensure that he will “enjoy every moment until the end”.
“I’m very proud of everything I’ve done as a player at all the clubs I’ve been to. This is coming to an end. It’s clear that these will be my last games. I feel very happy with the journey I’ve made and the recognition I’ve received I have, not only at Rio Ave, but at national level. It is a source of pride that many people identify with Ukra as a player and person”, said the player, quoted by the Lusa agency.
“I look at my career and say it is successful. Not because of the titles I won, but because in all the clubs I was at, I always achieved the objectives set. So I just have to be happy and proud”, he shared.
Regarding the future, Ukra revealed that “he will be on television”, but that he will remain linked to football, confiding an invitation to be an ambassador for the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP).
“I won’t be on the pitch, but I will be nearby to see what was a big part of my life”, he added.
The player joked that “it will be more difficult for the locker room to stay away from Ukra than for Ukra to stay away from the locker room”, but assured that “new challenges will appear”.
“This joy and disposition that I have will not end my career as a professional footballer. They will just be transferred elsewhere. But I will be a friend to everyone who was part of this journey”, he concluded.
Ukra will end his career as a footballer at the age of 36, after spells at clubs such as Famalicão, where he graduated, FC Porto, Padroense, Varzim, Olhanense, Sporting de Braga, CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), Al Fateh (Saudi Arabia) , Santa Clara and Rio Ave.
The winger made his debut in the I Liga with Olhanense, in 2009/10, when he was on loan from FC Porto. In the following season, in 2010/11, he was part of the main squad of the “blue and whites”, playing eight games, before heading to Sporting de Braga in the middle of that year.