Marcos Llorente retires from Spain at 31 days after winning the World Cup

Marcos Llorente has retired from international football at the age of 31, announcing his decision on Instagram just days after Spain were crowned World Cup champions in July 2025. The Atletico Madrid right back, who earned 27 caps for La Roja, said he had already resolved to step away before the tournament kicked off.

“I am aware that I am still young and that, perhaps, if I continued to do things well, I still had years left to play in this jersey,” Llorente wrote, alongside a photograph of himself holding the World Cup trophy. “I know that many of you won’t understand, and I probably wouldn’t have understood it from the outside either. But it is a personal decision, very carefully considered and, above all, deeply felt.”

Llorente made his senior debut for Spain in 2020 and was part of the squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, though he was not included in the side that won Euro 2024. His return to the national team for this summer’s tournament ended with a winner’s medal and, it now emerges, a quiet farewell he had already planned.

“These last 52 days. With a wonderful group that fought until the very end to put Spain on top. And they did,” he added, reflecting on the campaign. “It has been an honor to represent my country and be a part of this history.”

The timing will surprise many given Llorente’s age and the fact that he departs at the peak of the national team’s recent success. Spain have now won back-to-back major international trophies, and Llorente exits having contributed to the second of them — choosing to close the chapter on his own terms rather than wait for the door to close on him.