Just after inspiring Spain to glory on the international stage in 2026 as they triumphed in the FIFA World Cup, Marcos Llorente has officially retired from the game at the national level.
The 31-year-old, having started as part of Luis Enrique’s starting XI since November 2020 as one of many new faces integrated into the squad under his command, finishes his Spain journey having made 27 appearances and having been part of the squad in 2020 and both the 2026 and two-years-ago-2022 editions of the FIFA World Cup, in addition to participating in Euro 2020, a tournament in which Spain reached the semi-finals.
Llorente was used three times throughout the summer, coming on from the substitute’s bench in the opening group stage tie against Cape Verde, playing in Spain’s 4-2 group stage win over Uruguay and being an unused substitute against France in the semi-finals, but he says the decision was made before kick-off.
“Having reflected, I have made the decision to step away from the national team,” the 31-year-old stated on his personal Instagram profile.
“I’m conscious of my age, and that probably if I maintained form I still have a number of years ahead of me playing for this team.”
Before this, Llorente had previously confessed that football no longer represented his life, with physical and mental well-being taking precedence.
