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World Cup Winner Marcos Llorente Retires From Spain Duty

From El Deber · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Marcos Llorente announced his retirement from Spain’s national team at age 31 after winning the 2026 World Cup.
  • He said he had reached the decision before the tournament, regardless of selection or the team’s result, and finished with 27 international appearances.
  • Atlético Madrid praised his commitment and said he had become part of Spanish football history.

Marcos Llorente has chosen to leave Spain’s national team while still a world champion. The 31-year-old Atlético Madrid player announced the decision after Spain’s triumph at the 2026 World Cup, but said the outcome had not changed his mind.

After a long time thinking it over, I have decided to close my chapter with the national team. I know I am still young and that, perhaps, if I continued doing things well, I could have years left to keep playing in this shirt. I know many of you will not understand, and surely I would not have understood it from the outside. But it is a personal, carefully considered and above all deeply felt decision.

· Marcos LlorenteLlorente explained his decision to retire from Spain.

Llorente said he had already decided before the tournament that he would end his international career, whether or not he was selected and whether or not Spain won the title. He made the announcement through Instagram after “a long time thinking it over,” calling it a personal, carefully considered and deeply felt decision.

The midfielder made 27 appearances for Spain and scored no goals. He played at two World Cups, appearing at Qatar 2022, 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.

Regardless of whether I had gone to the World Cup or not, or whether we had won or not, I had already made this decision.

· Marcos LlorenteHe said the World Cup result did not determine his retirement.

His Spain debut came on Nov. 11, 2020, under Luis Enrique Martínez. His final appearance was in the closing stages of the July 14 semifinal against France, with Luis de la Fuente as coach.

I am proud to have represented my country and been part of this history. Thank you for everything.

· Marcos LlorenteLlorente reflected on his international career after Spain’s title win.

“I am proud to have represented my country and been part of this history,” Llorente wrote, thanking the people who had helped make his years with Spain possible. Atlético Madrid responded by praising his commitment and his way of representing and defending the national shirt, adding that he was part of the history of Spanish football.

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 you every day.

· Atlético MadridThe club responded publicly to Llorente’s international retirement.
About this summary

Originally published by El Deber in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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