Former Juventus flop retires form football to become full-time rapper

In the summer of 2011, Giuseppe Marotta hit the jackpot. The former Juventus general manager secured the signings of Miroko Vucinic, Arturo Vidal, Stephan Licthtsteiner and of course Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer, providing Antonio with a squad capable of lifting the Old Lady from the abyss.

However, the current Inter CEO also had his blunders, with the most obvious being Eljero Elia.

Aged 24 at the time, the Dutchman was a promising winger who arrived from Hamburg, but eventually went down as a major flop.

The former Netherlands international only made four Serie A appearances (for a combined 94 minutes on the pitch), without contributing in a single league goal.

Elia eventually returned to Germany in the following summer through the gates of Werder Bremer, embarking on a journeyman career that saw him represent a host of clubs all around Europe, including Southampton and Feyenoord, and most recently Ado Den Haag.

But at the age of 36, Elia has finally decided to hang his boots in favor of a microphone. The Dutchman is ready to dedicate the next stage of his life to rap music.

“I’m leaving football, the time has come to let the Netherlands know that I won’t play anymore. I’m too busy now,” revealed the footballer-turned-rapper to ESPN via JuventusNews24.

Elia won’t be the first former Juventus player who pledges his career to music, as Daniel Osvaldo became the lead singer for a rock band – although he’s not exactly the second coming of Mick Jagger, to say it mildly.