Jordi Alba, the former Barcelona and Spain full-back, has announced on social media that he will retire at the end of the MLS season.
Alba, who won the 2012 European Championship with Spain after scoring in the final, as well as a host of club honours including the Champions League and five LaLiga titles, is currently playing alongside former Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami.
The 36-year-old, who joined Miami in 2023, helped the club qualify for the MLS play-offs which are scheduled to end in early December.
“The time has come to close a truly meaningful chapter of my life,” Alba said in a video posted to his Instagram profile on Tuesday.
“I do so with complete conviction, with peace, and with happiness. I feel I’ve walked this path with every ounce of passion I had. And now it’s the right moment to open a new chapter and close the previous one with the best possible feeling.”
The news comes as something of a surprise considering Alba signed a multi-year contract extension with Miami only a few months ago.
“I’m happy to renew my contract because I have the desire to continue competing, and because of how I feel at the club, with the affection I receive from fans at every match,” Alba said back in May.
“We have that desire to continue competing, to continue winning, and, hopefully, win as many titles as possible.”
Alba, who also played for Valencia, Gimnastic and Cornella early in his career, had been on the books at Barcelona as a youth player, but was released in 2005.
He returned to the Catalan club in 2012 and went on to enjoy 11 trophy-laden years at the Camp Nou. Alba earned 93 senior caps for Spain, scoring nine goals.
