Italy’s Jake Polledri retires at 28 due to horrific injury

Italian third winger Jake Polledri has announced his retirement from professional rugby at the age of 28, after failing to fully recover from a serious knee injury, he announced on Monday.

Polledri, born in England, qualified for Italy through his grandparents and played for them at under-20 level before making his senior debut in 2018. He has represented Italy 20 times.

His career was derailed by a devastating injury with Italy in 2020 when he ruptured all three cruciate ligaments in his knee, tore his hamstring and tore his calf, leading to nerve damage and paralysis of his foot.

Polledri was playing for Gloucester at the time, but joined Zebre Parma in 2023 and made his final appearance for Italy in last year's Six Nations, coming off the bench against England.

“My foot however did not return to 100% and ultimately this affected my ability to return to the high level of rugby I played, and it also affected life in general,” Polledri said on Instagram .

“I reluctantly accepted that my body and my professionals told me [to] retire from the sport I love.

Polledri has featured in four Six Nations Championships and also played at the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

“We are losing an extraordinary player, he remains a fantastic person who can be a valuable asset and a great ambassador for our rugby. I thank him for what he has given to the jersey of our national team,” declared the president of the rugby union. Italian Rugby Federation, Marzio Innocenti. in a report.