On September 24, Beijing Guoan striker Jonathan Soriano, stepping into the moment of his 36th birthday, officially announced his retirement through social media platforms, ending his career.
Soriano reflected on his soccer career in a video and ended it with a message of "thankfulness for soccer".
Born in 1985, Soriano is a Spanish national and plays as a striker. He has moved around in his career with a number of clubs such as Espanyol, Almeria, Sporting Ejido, Albacete, Barcelona B and Salzburg.
Soriano played for Beijing Guoan from 2017 to 2019, and according to data from the German Transfer Market, he moved from Red Bull Salzburg to Guoan for a transfer fee of €15 million. In 36 games at Guoan, he contributed 31 goals and 6 assists.
Prior to his retirement, Soriano played for Spanish lower division side Castellón, failing to find a new owner after his contract expired and eventually opting for retirement.
It is worth noting that during his time with Red Bull Salzburg, Soriano scored 172 goals and had 72 assists, making him the team's all-time leading scorer. Therefore, after Soriano announced his retirement, Red Bull Salzburg's official Twitter feed also sent their best wishes, "All the best for your retirement, Captain!"
