Officially: shock international retirement for Spain star

The player revealed the behind-the-scenes of his decision

Marcos Llorente has walked away from international football with Spain. The Atlético Madrid midfielder made the surprise call just weeks after lifting the 2026 World Cup with "La Roja".

Llorente, 31, broke the news on his social media accounts on Thursday. He confirmed the decision came after long consideration, and had nothing to do with the World Cup result or how much he played in the tournament.

Llorente said: "After a lot of time thinking about it, I have decided to end my chapter with the national team. I am aware that I am still young, and that perhaps, if I continue to do things properly, I would still have more years ahead of me to keep playing in this shirt."

He added: "I know that many of you will not understand this decision, and perhaps I myself would not have understood it, had I been looking at it from the outside. But it is a personal decision, one I have thought about a great deal, and above all, it comes from what I feel. And regardless of whether I was going to go to the World Cup or not, or whether we were going to win or not, I had already made this decision."

The Atlético Madrid player continued: "I can only be endlessly grateful to all the people I have met over these years, who made it possible for me and my family to live unique, unforgettable moments."

Signing off, Llorente said: "I will keep everything I have lived, but above all, these last 52 days, with an amazing group that fought until the end, to put Spain in the highest place. And that is what it did. It has been a pride to represent my country, and to be part of this story. Thank you for everything. A hug to all."

Early retirement

His international career ran for roughly six years. Since his Spain debut in November 2020, Llorente played 27 games without scoring, according to the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

He was part of the squad at Euro 2020, staged in 2021, and featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Then came the perfect send-off: victory at the 2026 World Cup.

Three appearances came his way at the last World Cup, among them the semi-final against France, which Spain won 2-0.

Llorente has been at Atlético Madrid since 2019. He launched his professional career with Deportivo Alavés and then Real Madrid before joining the Rojiblancos, winning the La Liga title with them in the 2020-2021 season.