Marcos Llorente announces Spain retirement: “A deeply considered and deeply felt decision”

Marcos Llorente has decided to end his Spain career even after helping the team win the 2026 World Cup. The Atlético Madrid player said the decision had been made before the tournament and did not depend on whether he went to the World Cup or whether Spain won it.

“I have decided to close my chapter with the national team,” Llorente wrote in an Instagram message. He acknowledged that he is still young and might have had several more years in the national shirt, but called the decision personal, carefully considered and deeply felt.

Llorente, 31, made 27 appearances for Spain without scoring. He played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Spain went out in the round of 16, and at the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where Spain beat Argentina in the final on July 19.

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I have decided to close my chapter with the national team. I know that many of you will not understand it, and perhaps I would not have understood it from the outside either. But it is a personal, deeply considered and, above all, deeply felt decision.

His Spain debut came on November 11, 2020, under Luis Enrique Martínez. His final appearance was on July 14, 2026, when he played the closing stages of the semifinal against France under coach Luis de la Fuente.

Llorente said he was grateful to everyone who had shared those years with him and highlighted the team’s final 52 days. Atlético Madrid responded by praising his commitment and the way he represented and defended Spain’s shirt, saying he was part of the history of Spanish football.

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We are proud of your commitment and the way you represent and defend the shirt. You are part of the history of Spanish football and it makes us immensely happy to enjoy having you with us every day.