York9 FC’s ironman has decided to hang up his boots.

Defender Luca Gasparotto announced this week that he’s retiring after two seasons with The Nine Stripes in order to pursue a new career.

“I’ve made the decision to step back from football and pursue a different career path,” Gasparotto said. “It wasn’t an easy decision, I’ve been playing professionally for years… it’s never easy to give up something you’ve fallen in love with.”

Gasparotto played every single minute in York9 history, starting with 34 appearances in the club’s inaugural season – 2,520 minutes in total across the Canadian Premier League and Canadian Championship. The 25-year-old native of North York followed that up with seven appearances at The Island Games.

“One of my objectives was to play as much as possible but I never thought it would be every single second of every single game in the club’s history. It’s a great achievement, another story to tell. A very special thing,” Gasparotto said.

In the video above, Gasparotto opens up on his decision to step away from pro football to focus on his career outside the sport.