Marco Di Vaio, Impact striker and former Serie-A star, announces retirement

Montreal Impact's Marco Di Vaio celebrates in Montreal on Sept. 10, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Graham Hughes)

MONTREAL -- Striker Marco Di Vaio ended speculation on his soccer future Friday by announcing that he will retire from the Montreal Impact at the end of the Major League Soccer season.

The 38-year-old former Italian Serie-A star, in his third season with the Impact, will play his final two home games Oct. 11 against New England and Oct. 25 against D.C. United.

The Rome native scored 142 goals in 342 Serie-A matches with Lazio, Bari, Salternitana, Parma, Juventus, Genoa and Bologna. He added another 31 in 72 MLS games.

The announcement ended speculation that he would stay on an extra season because of the chemistry he has developed with new designated player Ignacio Piatti.

There had also been reports he would return to his last Italian club to retire as a Bologna player.

Di Vaio has said it would be difficult to stay on in Montreal because his wife and children live in Italy. He is expected to take a job in the Bologna organization after his playing career.

"After a 20-year career, I am pleased to announce that I will be retiring in Montreal as a member of the Impact," Di Vaio said in a statement Friday. "I am very proud of what I've accomplished over two decades as a pro.

"It was a dream of mine to play at the highest level and I will look to make the best of my final month as a player."

He joined the Impact as the expansion MLS club's first designated player on May 24, 2012.

Not content to coast through his final seasons, Di Vaio played with skill and intensity in Montreal.

The stocky forward known as Il Bomber scored 20 goals in 2013, when he was named to the MLS Best XI and was a finalist for league most valuable player honours. He has so far made 62 starts and played a total of 5,636 minutes for Montreal.

"Everything we asked of Marco has been delivered," said Impact president Joey Saputo. "He accepted all the responsibilities that came with being a designated player.

"He was the first for this club and was the right choice. His quality and experience helped the team progress on the field, but he also helped the club with his wealth of knowledge off of it. He gained respect around the league and from its players, and it's very well deserved."

He will retire as the team's leader in MLS goals and shots.

Di Vaio began his career with Lazio in 1995.

After bumping around with a few teams, he was sold for 14 million euros in 2003 to Juventus, who he helped to win a league championship. He also helped the team reach the Champions League final in 2003, scoring four goals in 11 matches.

He then moved for 10.5 million euros to Spanish club Valencia, where he played from 2004 to 2006, scoring 11 goals in 35 La Liga matches.

Di Vaio joined Bologna in 2008. He served as captain for two seasons and scored 65 goals in 143 games.

He had two goals in 14 international matches for Italy. He played in the 2004 European championship with Impact defender Matteo Ferrari and former Impact forward Bernardo Corradi.