The words of the former Lazio and Inter striker following the death of his teammate at Barcelona de Guayaquil: “I came here with my heart more than my head; what happened has left a mark on me”

When you see a teammate die—or rather, when a teammate is killed on the street at age 33—your outlook changes. You cry, you reflect, you set new priorities. This is likely what prompted former Lazio, Genoa, and Inter striker Felipe Caicedo to call it quits on soccer. On December 18, in broad daylight in the city of Guayaquil, Mario Pineida of Barcelona Sporting Club was shot and killed, along with his wife.

the decision—  News that left Ecuador in shock and prompted Caicedo, 37, to decide to walk away from it all: “I will most likely retire. I have no intention of continuing. Mario Pineida’s death has affected me deeply, and I don’t want anything to do with soccer anymore. I won’t stay at Barcelona. I’m a man who lives in the moment, and when I decided to come here, I did so more with my heart than with my head.”