He Just Won the World Cup With Spain. Weeks Later, He Told the Team He's Done — For Good.

Most players who help their country win a World Cup ride the moment for as long as it lasts. Marcos Llorente used his to say goodbye.

The 31-year-old Atletico Madrid right back confirmed his retirement from Spain's national team on Thursday, posting the news on Instagram alongside a photo of himself holding the World Cup trophy. "After giving it a lot of thought, I have decided to bring my time with the national team to an end," he wrote, describing the decision as carefully considered rather than impulsive.

The detail that makes this genuinely surprising rather than just sentimental: Llorente has said he'd made up his mind before the World Cup even happened, and would have retired the same way regardless of the result. That undercuts the obvious read — a player riding off on the highest possible note — and points instead to something more personal, tied to his own timeline rather than the team's success.

Llorente made his senior Spain debut under Luis Enrique in November 2020 and went on to earn 27 caps, representing his country at Euro 2020 and two World Cups. In this year's tournament specifically, he started against Cape Verde and Uruguay before coming off the bench in Spain's semifinal win over France — meaningful minutes in the run that ended with the trophy he's now holding in his farewell photo.

He remains available for Atletico Madrid at club level; this retirement applies only to international duty. IF Daily could not confirm a broadcast video specifically covering this announcement at publication time; this account draws on reporting from ESPN, Goal.com, and France 24, cited below.