Jordi Alba announced his retirement: “Football has given me absolutely everything” | Inter Miami | Lionel Messi

Jordi Alba will put an end to his career when the 2025 season ends.

Photo: EFE – Angel Colmenares

Jordi Alba, one of the most emblematic sides of recent years, officially announced on Tuesday his retirement as a professional footballer at the end of this season with Inter Miami. The Spanish defender puts an end to his career with 36 years.

Alba was not only consolidated as one of the FC Barcelona figures and the selection of Spain, but also as a historical reference in its position. After 16 years of career he decided that he will hang the Guayos when he concludes the participation of his team in the Major League Soccer (MLS).

“Hello everyone, the time has come to close a transcendental stage in my life. I have made the decision to put an end to my career as a professional footballer at the end of this season. I do it with absolute conviction, fully and with happiness,” Alba said in his social networks.

The announcement comes in the midst of a renewal process at Inter Miami, which will also run out of Sergio Busquets. The Spanish flyer announced a few days ago that his stage in professionalism will come to an end in the coming months.

Both, together with the Argentine star Lionel Messi, represented the backbone of a project that led the American club to an unprecedented global exposure level. With the exit of Alba, a cycle is closed that united three icons of Barcelona in the MLS.

In his farewell message, the left side reviewed his career with gratitude: “I feel that I have traveled this path with all possible passion. And now it is the right time to open a new stage and close the previous one with the best of the sensations. Football has given me absolutely everything.”

Alba began his career at Atlético Centro Hospitalense, went through Cornellà and Nàstic de Tarragona, and debuted in the First Division with Valencia CF. In 2012 he signed for Barcelona, ​​where he reached the cusp of his career: he played 459 games, scored 27 goals and gave 94 assists in eleven seasons.

During that time he won 18 titles, including six leagues from Spain, five King Cups, a Champions League and a Club World Cup. “He saw me grow up being a child and allowed me to reach the top of my career, live more than an unforgettable decade and conquer all possible titles,” he added.

In addition, his society with Lionel Messi became one of the most effective in modern football. Alba not only stood out for its speed and precision in the centers, but also for its tactical reading and their ability to generate danger from the left wing.

With the Spanish team, the defender accumulated 93 games, was champion of the 2012 Eurocup and participated in three World Cups, coming to carry Captain's bracelet. “To the Spanish team, proud to have dressed this shirt and grateful for being part of your story,” he said in his farewell.

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