BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The head goalkeeper of Argentinian side River Plate, Marcelo Barovero, confirmed on Wednesday he will leave the soccer club in June.
"My idea is to get away from the country a little. It is not a matter of money. The years go by and we are very aware of this. We stop valuing other things and I don't want that to happen to me," said 31-year-old Barovero, adding that leaving the club is due to a "personal matter" and has nothing to do with soccer.
"It is not because of pressures related to soccer, not at all. On the pitch I am the happiest man and most grateful to put on the strip but sometimes priorities in life change," the goalie told local radio station La Red.
Barovero also denied being a part of a club like River is a "waste" and he added he didn't feel pressured at the club. "I always dreamed of playing for Cups, travelling and going to Japan," said the player. Barovero was able to go to Japan with the Argentinian team for the Club World Cup where River lost in the final to Barcelona.
Barovero, was ranked the seventh best goalkeeper in the world in 2015 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). He started playing for River Plate in July 2012 when the club returned to the First Division.
With the Argentinian side, Barovero has played 146 matches, won two local tournaments, and won the Copa Sudamericana 2014, Recopa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores and the Suruga Bank in 2015.