Grazie Vale: Moto GP great Valentino Rossi retires

"#Grazie Vale" was the hashtag being shared by motorcycling fans around the world on Sunday, as MotoGP great Valentino Rossi’s career came to an end.

The Italian finished just tenth in his final race in Valencia, Spain, but it was of little importance for the adoring fans who’d made the trip to see him ride into the pits for one last time.

Rossi won nine world titles in a career spanning more than two decades - winning 89 races and finishing on the podium 199 times

He said afterward he thought it was going to be difficult to retire, and regretted not winning more titles in his early years.

Actors Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves as well as athletes Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lewis Hamilton, Gianluigi Buffon, and Andrea Pirlo were among those to post video messages in his honour.